Back For the First Time
by ChinoYaEejit
Summary: After fifteen long years of being hidden on a secluded island tucked away from the wizarding world and people in general, Dumbledore feels it's time for the Potter's and the Longbottoms to make a return to the wizarding world...A.U. full summary inside
1. Prologue!

**Disclaimer- I own nothing you recognize.**

_Full Summary- What if things had went a little differently when Dumbledore approached the Potters about the Secret Keeper issue? What if Sirius hadn't suggested Peter become secret keeper? After fifteen long years of being hidden on a secluded island tucked away from the wizarding world and people in general, Dumbledore feels it's time for the Potter's and the Longbottoms to make a return to the wizarding world and Hogwarts and give old Voldie what he's been looking for..._

Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts witchcraft and wizardry strolled through Hogsmeade at a leisurely pace on a breezy October night.  He was on Hogwarts business but he found this no reason to not enjoy the cozy village of Hogsmeade to its full extent. It had been a while since he had time to take a night stroll like this. With the start of a fresh semester at Hogwarts and all of the Order meetings due to the rise of a Dark Lord that had been wreaking havoc in muggle cities and wizard homes alike  Albus barely had time to himself.

After a stop at Honeydukes, the local sweet shop, to pick up an extra pack of lemon drops for those late night cravings Albus Dumbledore made his way through the windy village and stopped in front of The Hogshead. The Hogshead was not what most people would call a four star hotel/bar but its cheap prices and plentiful alcohol drew in some of the strangest and cheapest crowds. Albus stepped from under the teetering Hogshead sign with its chipping paint which was gathering on his velvet cloak.  Before entering he fingered a small piece of parchment in his withered hands. It was a list of potential Divination Professors.  Ever since Professor Frederick Levy had passed in late May the position for Divination instructor had been vacant. Though Levy wasn't an extraordinary professor in any way the position had proved hard to fill. 

_Laura Crockford-Drunkard_

_Farley McKinnon-just plain...odd_

_Liam Walker-EXTREEMLY prejudice against muggle borns_

_Dan Freeman-Convicted for malpractice on a goat_

_Sybil Trelwany- Fraud; pending_

Dumbledore's list read. He crossed his fingers in hope that the fifth time would be a charm.  He had an unexplainable faith in Sybil Trelwaney and her so-called inner eye. This was probably because a very distant relative of hers had been a renowned seer worldwide. This would be Dumbledore's second attempt to get in contact with Trelawney.  Her first interview had been scheduled for June but she had to cancel last minute for the sake of resting her 'inner eye'.

Albus stepped in to the dusty smoke filled pub and searched around the tables for a sign of Trelwaney.  She had promised to meet him for an interview at nine 'o' clock sharp and it was already nine fifteen.  Dumbledore peered at the tables occupied by drunken wizards, surly witches, and various forms of trolls ands hags but no Trelwaney.  

_"Yoo hoo, Headmaster..._" a wistful voice called out on his right. Albus turned around briskly to become face to face with a petite elderly woman which he assumed to be Trelawny.  The woman's hair was a striking red with strands of gray hidden under a moon decorated bandana, and Dumbledore could hardly make out any other characteristics on her face mainly due to the oversized glasses perched on her pointy nose that magnified her beady eyes and gave her the look of some meek bug.

"Err...Sybil Trelwaney I presume?" Albus said extending his hand forward.

"Your hands!" Sybil exclaimed upon getting a glimpse of Dumbledore's withered hands.

"Is there something on them?" Albus questioned curiously inspecting his hand before yanking his hand and holding it up under her bottle cap spectacles.

"They tell me so much about your life! Ahhh...I feel my inner eye churning!" Trelawney said with her eyes rolling to the back of her head slightly. "Are you a Capricorn?" Trelawney asked closing her beady eyes and stroking Dumbledore's hand.

"No, actually I'm a-."

"Scorpio?"

"No-."

"Aries?"

"Actually-."

"Gemini?" Sybil asked opening one eye worryingly gazing into Dumbledore's tired and slightly amused face.

"A Leo." Dumbledore confirmed taking a seat.

"Aha! Exactly what _this _line indicates!" Trelawney said reclaiming his hand. "Come, let me order you a Butterbeer and tell you about your future..." Trelawney said taking a seat next to Dumbledore.

"This is going to be a long night..." Dumbledore muttered to himself.

Not so far from where Trelawney's interview was taking place a pudgy blonde man that looked to be no older than 20 or so, laid his head down sideways on the bar peering through his half empty mug of firewhisky.

"I'm Henry the eighth I am, I'm_ -hic- _Henry the eighth _-hic- _I am..." He drowned on monotonously. 

The surly looking barkeep glared at him as he tilted off of his chair waving his arms as conducting an orchestra, disgusted.

"Damn drunk, need to get out and make room for my _paying _customers..." He mumbled shifting to pick up the mug.

"Hey! _-hic-_" the man slurred slightly, reclaiming his mug, swishing around its contents in the process. "I _am _paying! Put it _-hic-_ to the tab of Sirius _-hic- _Black." the man said waving off the cranky barkeep.

"You don't look like Sirius Black."

"Yeah, I do. Isn't my _-hic- _hair beautiful _-hic-_?" Peter questioned, stroking his short bristly locks affectionately.

"Pettigrew, Sirius Black came in here two nights ago and told me personally to keep his tab off limits to the likes of you!" he replied scowling at the drunken Peter Pettigrew.

"Aw Fine! Take your change _-hic-_ you lackey!" Peter exclaimed slamming down some silver sickles.

"Humph...probably nicked 'em from somebody...no good..." the Barkeep mumbled off into a corner.

"Now, hand me a mug of your finest _-hic_- sherry..." Peter mumbled nearly tilting off his stool again.

"Oh no you don't, get out! You've had enough!"

"Enough? I'll tell you...do you _-hic- really_ want me to _-hic- _use this overused line or do you just _-hic- _wanna give me the damn sherry?" Peter slurred looking at his stubby fingernails.

"...You got a point there..." he muttered setting down bottle with a loud 'clang'.

"Good, add this to the tab _-hic- _of Sirius Black."

"Didn't we already have this conversation?!"

About an hour later Dumbledore was still leaning back on his chair twiddling his wrinkly fingers boredly as Trelwaney rambled on and on about Saturn clashing with Mars or what not.

"...and then all Capricorns -that's your sign right? - will have their powerful rays shut off..." Sybil droned on demonstrating with her hands wildly as Dumbledore yawned.

"That will be enough Miss Trelawney, thank you for your time." Dumbledore interrupted, scratching her name frantically off the list with his eagle quill.

"But, no! Haven't I told you what a long, long life you will have? What about when you become Minister of Magic? And your twelve children!" Sybil struggled desperately to regain his attention. If she didn't get this job she'd be forced to live on the streets, or worse, the Hogshead for the rest of her life.

"Do you even believe yourself?" Dumbledore questioned half curious and half amused.

"Err...give me a m-m-m..." Trelawney trailed off as her beady eyes went dark and then slowly rolled skywards, almost to the back of her head. Her head also tilted back slightly and began to quiver.

"Miss Trelawney? Are you okay?" Dumbledore questioned silently tapping her chin. Suddenly she made a gurgling sound and a rough hoarse voice escaped out of her mouth.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...-" _She croaked quite fiercely.

Peter Pettigrew glanced over his shoulder terrified as he heard the name of the Dark Lord mentioned.  

"Vanquish? Dark_ -hic-_ Lord?" He questioned frantically in a high pitched voice. He scrambled off of his barstool in his drunken state, clumsily knocking over his full mug of firewhiskey into the bottles of alcohol the barkeep was stacking under the bar.

"Now look at what you done!" the barkeep exclaimed, sopping up his bloodstained hand with a dirty looking rag.

_"...and the Dark Lord will mark him as an equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not..."_ Sybil continued on in a distance.

"Get out of my bar now!" he raged on.

"I gotta _-hic-_ hear this.._.-hic-_ I just gotta..." 

"Billy Bob, take care of him!" the barkeep demanded pointing his bloody finger at Peter, motioning for his beefy nephew, Billy Bob, to throw him out.

"Err...sure thang boss." Billy Bob mumbled arising from his crouching position behind a bar to reveal his full incriminating height.

Before Peter knew what was happening Billy Bob had gripped him by his belt with his chunky fingers and had carried him halfway through the bar towards the exit.

"Wait, Ricky Ray _-hic- _or Bobby Bill or _-hic- _whatever your name is-" Peter muttered frantically trying o release himself from his grip unsuccessfully as Billy Bob swung open the back door that led to a damp alley.

"Err...get out and stay out, you drunk, unless you come back with money that is..." Billy growled as he tossed Peter out like old garbage. 

he slammed the swinging door on Peter's outstretched hand, making Peter wail in pain twice as the swinging door came back and collided with his head, creating an interesting red spot on his head. Peter tried to get to his feet unsuccessfully for about five minutes before giving up and deciding to lay in two day old puke until morning.  That's when he heard voices coming from the street where Dumbledore had just awarded Trelawney the position of Divination teacher. He spun his head to the right, covering his hair in somebody else's vomit to watch them leave.

"Wait till I _-hic- _tell Master _-hic- _some snot faced brat's_ -hic- _gonna vanquish -whatever the hell that word means- him _-hic-..."_ Peter mumbled obviously pleased with himself as a scruffy looking alley cat came and sat on his face to lick himself.

"I wonder whose kid _-hic- _though? Only a bit of people have defied old Moldie Voldie -kitty I made a rhyme! - thr- thw- umm... this many times." Peter said holding up three fingers to the cat which just continued on licking itself clean.

"Hmm... let's -hic- see...there's that auror guy_...-hic- _the fat one...and that chick he married_ -hic-_...good cake at that wedding...she's an auror _-hic- _too! What a coinci...coin...surprise...I think the prefect lady that -hic- went to Hoggywarts..._Lily! -hic-_" Peter ranted on, oblivious to the cat which was now flexing its claws and shredding the front of his robes. "Wait! And_...-hic- _that friend...of mine...the one with _-hic- _the hair...oh they're screwed..." Peter howled with cackling laughter.

"...Which is exactly why I had to speak to you two today. "Professor Dumbledore sat in the Potter's cozy living room in Godric's Hollow almost a month later after Trelawney's prediction. By that time August was drawing to a lazy end and Voldemort had been laying suspiciously low for unknown reasons.

"I wasn't sure if I should alarm you by informing you a month ago when I first heard the prediction, but when you told me Harry was born on July 31st, I was sure of it."

The entire room was quiet for a second as Lily stared at her gurgling newborn with tears clouding her emerald eyes. James stood with his back facing them, gazing in a dreamlike trance out the window which overlooked the breezy grassy field that he and Harry had been playing in when Dumbledore approached them with his bad news, dampening their spirits. Dumbledore looked on at his former who students remained speechless, no doubt feeling the same feeling of utmost dread. Lily's mouth opened momentarily as if she were about to say something before closing it again and brushing one of Harry's wayward raven locks down with her trembling hand.

"What about Frank and Alice...and _their_ son? Will he be forced to _vanquish _Voldemort too? _He_ was born on July 31st too you know! Just because some ol' fraud says something about July thirty first-" James croaked with his haughty temper rising steadily as he whipped around and face Dumbledore with an accusing expression on his face.

"It's not _Dumbledore's _fault, James." Lily spoke calmly in a downtrodden way. "Voldemort hasn't marked _anybody _as an equal yet so we're not really sure who he's after, or even if he knows he's after anybody, right Albus?"

"Oh, he knows, I'm afraid. There seemed to have been a deatheater inside the Hogshead on that very night. The good news is that my spy has told me that he hasn't heard the complete prediction so that's good in a way...I suppose." Dumbledore finished lamely, stroking his silvery beard.

"What do we do then? We can't just stand around here while Voldemort sits around playing 'any many miny mo' until he figures out what kid to murder! We gotta get away!" James exclaimed, allowing his temper to take over once again.

"...I suggest that you three go into hiding." Dumbledore said finally. "Frank and Alice have already preformed the fidelius charm on their secret keeper and left with baby Neville." 

"Fidelius Charm?" James questioned in a slightly annoyed manner. He didn't like the idea of running away and hiding like some kind of coward. It was un-Gryffindor like and went against everything he knew and stood for.

"It's a highly complicated charm that allows a person to entrust a secret keeper of-." Lily started in her encyclopedia mode before James cut her off.

"I _know_ what it is!" James defended himself sharply with his sudden outburst making Harry start to whimper which turned into a full fledged bawl.

"Oh, James, look at what you did!" Lily exclaimed getting up and carrying the howling child to his crib upstairs.

"Well if someone cam up to me and said a psycho was out to destroy me I would cry too!" James countered, not really mad at anybody but just frustrated at the fact that his son's life was being threatened when he was barely a month old.

Dumbledore allowed James to brood over the situation until Lily returned downstairs with Harry and his favorite toy lion that his uncle Moony had bought him, Mr. Leo, in tow. They both sat down on the couch in front of Dumbledore and waited for him to continue speaking.

"Well, do you choose to go into hiding or not. Mind you. the fate of the wizarding world may depend on your decision." Dumbledore said lightly, avoiding their eyes.

"We don't really have a choice then, do we?" Lily responded since James still pouted next to her.

"Very wise choice. For the fidelius charm you will need to select a potential secret keeper. Keep in mind that your secret keeper will hold the key to your life and will be putting his in danger as well." Dumbledore told them solemnly.

"There's only one person to pick, Sirius!" James said somewhat defiantly to his previous headmaster.

"_Sirius? _As in Black? He couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it and it actually does this time!" Lily protested.

"I would be glad to take the role of your secret keeper, James." Dumbledore offered.

"_No! _Sirius would rather_ die _than betray us. It's him or _nobody_."

A few seconds of silence filled the room as everybody stared at James. Finally Lily sighed and rose from her seat.

"Where are you going?" James questioned as he followed the suit.

Lily ignored him and continued walking to the kitchen. She returned clutching a little pot in her hand and handed it to James. 

"Well, you better call him then." Lily said sighing as she pointed to the fireplace.

"Gee, I _wonder _where Austin went. I can never see where that sneaky kid goes off too..." Sirius Black announced loudly to the empty living room. That whole Saturday morning he was involved in a session of hide and seek.  He continued to stalk around the flat that he lived in with his girlfriend of six years and old Hogwarts friend, Lindsay Mathews, and their seven month old son, Austin. 

"Hey Linds, have you seen Austin?" Sirius questioned in false concern, as he already knew where the child had crawled off too. 

Lindsay stopped cutting cheese slices for sandwiches and looked at Sirius through her curtain of ginger colored hair with a sly grin playing on her face.

"No, Sirius, in fact I _haven't_..." she played along as they heard a childish coo and giggle come from their lower cabinet under the sink.

"Oh really...I wonder if he's in _here!_" Sirius exclaimed, throwing open the cabinet doors expecting to see Austin.  But what he saw was a couple of damp dishtowels, some soap detergent, but no Austin.

"What the- ow! Dammit!" Sirius remarked as he got up from his crouching position on the floor to feel something dragging his head back by his long wispy hair.

"Oh, wow he really is good." Lindsay chuckled as she wrapped her arms around the giggling toddler and detached him from Sirius's hair forcefully.

Austin giggled even more when Sirius face him with his mouth open in bewilderment. Austin's turquoise eyes danced with laughter in a way similar to his fathers as Sirius plucked him from Lindsay's hands and twirled him around.

"You win this round, but the war isn't over!" Sirius declared in a mock angry way.

"Oh, yes it is. It's time for somebody's nap." Lindsay replied checking her watch.

"See Austin? Your mother is _always _trying to get me into bed, she just won't stop. But I guess that's what happens when you have unbootable ways with women." Sirius boasted playfully, flipping his long hair back out of his face as Lindsay slugged him, hard, in the gut. 

"_Ow!" _Sirius howled clutching his stomach.

"Dabboo oww!" Austin mocked clutching his own pudgy stomach before looking back up in a fit of giggles. He seemed to laugh the most when his father was in some sort of pain. Sirius always claimed he got this trait from Lindsay.

"See what a big baby your daddy is? Looks like you're the man of the family, Doc." Lindsay cooed walking out of the kitchen with Austin reaching for Sirius while being escorted back to his room.

"Be a doll and finish the sandwiches, Siri, while I put _Doc _to sleep," Lindsay called back into the room. She had a habit of calling Austin Doc because she had been furious when she found out that her father had taken the liberty of naming the son of the daughter and her boyfriend _he_ had disowned, after himself. Sirius on the other hand liked the name even though he had intentions of naming the baby Sirius Jr.

"...Ow." Sirius whimpered one last time before turning to get the bread off the top of the refrigerator.

"_Make the sandwiches, Siri, take a nap, Siri..._" Sirius mocked Lindsay grudgingly as he spread the mayonnaise over a slice of wheat bread. "I'm getting real sick of her pushing me aro-." 

_"Sirius!"_ a voice called from the living room urgently.

"Eep!" Sirius squealed from surprise, jumping up and dropping the bread.

_"Sirius, come here!" _the familiar voice called once again.

Sirius poked his head cautiously out of the door and looked around.

_"Sirius, hurry up, I know your home!" _the voice urged on.

"...James?" Sirius questioned walking over to the fireplace where his friend's head, rumpled hair and all, had appeared.

"No, it's your mother." James remarked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Ma, you lost weight." Sirius replied jokingly.

"Really Sirius, this is important! Can you keep a secret?"  
  


"No." Sirius replied flatly.

_"I told you..." _Sirius heard Lily's voice mutter in the background.

"Padfoot, I'm serious!" James said with his eyebrows creasing.

"No, I am." Sirius said laughing once again.

"You idiot, that joke is ancient! We need you over here, now!"

"Why?" Sirius questioned suspiciously glancing over his shoulder. 

"I'll tell you when you get here. Just come!" James replied. And witth that James's head turned to smoke and blew away in the green flames.

Sirius glanced around and saw Lindsay come back into the room sighing. She flopped into a nearby lounge chair.

"I _just_ got Doc into his crib. He wouldn't let go of me! I wouldn't be suprised if he broke out of it again...Anyway who was that?" she questioned as Sirius grabbed his cloak off the hook and picked up his wand off the counter.

"I gotta go to Lily and James's for a sec...where's the floo powder?" he wondered aloud while going through the hall to retrieve the pot of dust from the bedroom.

"Is anything wrong?" Lindsay asked sitting up alarmed in her seat.

"I _hope_ not." Sirius said as he threw floo powder into the dying orange flames which immediately sparked up again.

"I'll be back soon." he mouthed as he stepped in. "56823 Godric's Hollow!" He bellowed into the fireplace. 

Lindsay watched as he twirled off unaware that Austin had attached himself to the hem of his cloak during his trip through the hallway.

"...Well," she sighed. "More sandwiches for me then."

"Hey, Lil, James, what's up?" Sirius questioned as he dusted himself off. He spotted Dumbledore standing in the corner of the room silently and turned to James giving him a questioning look.

"What's Dumbledore doing here, someone die? Or is it _you know what _business?" Sirius questioned in a low tone.

"Take a seat Sirius." Dumbledore offered ushering him to the plushy couch. As Sirius walked past his friends without a word a little squeal escaped from under Sirius cloak.

"What was _that_?" James questioned in slight alarm. 

Lily bent down to where the noise was coming from and plucked the giddy child for Sirius's cloak.

"Seems we have a stowaway." Lily said with a slight grin playing on her face.

"_Again_, Austin?" James questioned jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah, we better get to business..." Sirius said putting Austin in the playpen where Harry was lying on his back waving Mr. Leo. Harry squealed happily upon his friend's arrival. They quickly got involved in a conversation in their own little baby language. Everybody watched them amused for a while before turning back to their agenda.

"Well Sirius, we need your help." Lily said taking a seat on the couch next to Sirius.

"With what?" Sirius questioned looking truly concerned.

"Well, long story short Voldemort's trying to kill Harry, so were going into hiding with the Longbottoms on some desolate unknown island far away from here and we need you as our secret keeper of our location."  James said in one drawn breath refusing to make eye contact with Sirius.

"What?!" Sirius exclaimed clearly alarmed.

"I said...Voldemort's trying to kill-."

"James, maybe _I_ should explain our situation..." Dumbledore said calmly, speaking for the first time since Sirius got there. He seemed to have a very worn and tired expression on his face and his normally twinkling eyes we're clouded and sad.

Dumbledore told his tale of the night in Hogsmeade again while Sirius gasped on in surprise and then sadness. Then he explained why they would be leaving so quickly. By the time he finished everyone had a melancholy look to them, even Harry and Austin, who couldn't possibly have a clue as to what was going on.

"...You guys are leaving me?" Sirius whimpered in a broken puppy like voice as he looked at his friends.

"Only until...how long _do_ we have to be there?" Lily asked turning toward Dumbledore.

"...Until..." Dumbledore considered the question deeply as his eyebrows creased with deep thought. "Until, I feel they are ready." 

Austin let out a loud wail as if he knew that meant he wouldn't be seeing Harry for a _long_ time. Sirius couldn't bring himself to get up and comfort Austin so he just slouched in his chair and covered his eyes with his hands.

"Well, will me and Lindsay or Moony and Wormtail even be able to visit?" Sirius asked meekly to Dumbledore who simply sighed.

"I'm afraid not. Too much activity will bring attention to the secluded location I have selected."

Sirius and James both let out a strained little whimpering noise.

"As secret keeper you will have to promise never to reveal that information, Sirius. Do you choose to accept these responsibilities?" Dumbledore questioned giving a penetrating look in Sirius's eyes.

"Who wouldn't expect that though? I mean seriously, me and James are practically attached by the hip. Who wouldn't take a wild guess and just knock me off and then go after Harry?" Sirius questioned getting up out of his seat and approaching Dumbledore.

"Who do you suppose we should use then, Sirius?" Lily questioned helplessly as she rose from her seat to quiet Austin down.

"Remus?" James suggested.

"Can we really trust Remus? I mean, don't get me wrong but he's seemed a little..." Sirius made a motion with his hand. "...lately."

"Lindsay or Sam?" Lily questioned imploringly.

"It'll be the same thing like with me Lils, everyone would suspect them."

"Well, there's only a handful of people we can trust with something as precious as our _lives_, Sirius," James replied rolling his eyes skyward.

What about Peter-."

"No." Lily said firmly. "No offense to your little friend but I rather trust Remus than him."

"That makes two of us..." James said crossing his arms defiantly.

"Well you need someone who you can keep an eye on; you know to make sure Voldemort won't get to them." Dumbledore stated, stroking his chin in deep thought.

"Someone who you know won't talk." Sirius said quietly.

"Ewwwie Gaboo..." Harry screeched as Austin grabbed his nose.

"That too..."

Everybody thought deeply in the living room for several moments. Sirius continued to stare at the playpen as if he was expecting the answer to make it known. Suddenly, it did. Harry screeched again when Austin stole Mr. Leo and tottered to the other side of the playpen.

"I got it." Sirius said snapping.

"Really? Who?" James said with his head snapping up from his hand rest.

"This may sound crazy but-"

"What don't you say that sounds crazy?" Lily questioned with a grin spreading on his face.

"I think Harry would be the perfect secret keeper!"

"What?" James and Lily chorused in unison.

"Hmm..."Dumbledore replied stroking his beard again, signifying that he was in deep thought. "That is pretty clever...Harry cannot speak so there would be no danger of him telling of your location, and if he could why would he, his welfare is on the line too...you two will always be around to keep an eye on him to make sure no danger darkens his path...very clever indeed Sirius."

"Exactly!" Sirius cried jumping up.

James considered it for a moment and turned to his wife.

"Well, what do you think, Lils?" he questioned.

She hesitated before answering, taking Harry into her arms and squeezing him gently.

"...So, when do we leave?"

**AN- That was the prologue...Maybe if I'm lucky people won't ignore _this _fic too...Ciao people, remember that good ol' review button...**


	2. Here Comes the Mail

**Disclaimer- I own what you _don't _recognize...okay?**

_It was an abnormally cold Halloween that year. Darkness flowed across Godric's Hallow as Voldemort and some of his most trusted death eaters invaded the Potter's residence. The group marched in deadly silence in a single file line towards the large house. The sound of their boots crunching through the fallen leaves seem to echo throughout the night. Finally, a cold hoarse voice cut through the air._

_"Wormtail, where is this so called vanquisher?" Malfoy hissed in Peter Pettigrew's ear._

_"I don't know, maybe they split, Dumbledore must have inside sources and found out what we knew, yeah. I'm sure of it!" he squeaked nodding his head vigorously in the dark._

_A pale sickly looking man with long greasy hair shifted and looked uncomfortable when he heard this. Nobody seemed to notice._

_"Just like you were sure of the Longbottom's place?" Bellatrix Lestrange, a well known notorious Deatheater, snarled sarcastically at Peter, making him jump back a few inches. "And what a pity, I was _really_ in the mood to play with some Mudblood lover's that night..." _

_"H-Hey! The prophecy is real! Dumbledore's was real close to these people, that's all. They'll turn up sooner or later!" Peter reminded them fiercely, "You should treat me with respect! Because if it wasn't for me Master would have been history a long time ago!"_

_"How **dare** you speak such blasphemy concerning me?!" Voldemort screeched in a bone chilling tone. Peter covered his hair and whimpered audibly._

_"**Never **speak about the master that way, cretin!" Lucius Malfoy growled in a way vicious enough to scare his own shadow away._

_"How dare you?! Crucio!" Lestrange bellowed into the night.  Out of her wand came a blinding red light that wrapped it way around Peter. Peter was lifted off of his position on the grassy field into midair, surrounded by the light. He began to cringe and howl in pain. He writhed in midair screaming until he was on the point of tears._

_"Much as I hate to admit it, I think Pettigrew is right...Dumbledore could have those brats anywhere, training them up for the day when one of them has to kill- I mean- has to die...maybe we should just lay low until we find them." Severus Snape muttered aloud as he watched the pathetic sight._

_"Snape is right, let the fool down, Bellatrix." Voldemort said barely moving his nonexistent lips. He stroked the top of her head like she was a little girl. _

_"Who are **you **totell the Dark Lord what to do? Are you suggesting what I think you are?! The Dark Lord will never step down to muggle lovers likes yourself!" Lucius spat, edging closer to Snape, drawing his wand._

_"STOP!" Voldemort demanded, holding his thin palms flat out in the air.****_

_Lestrange released the spell and Peter fell into a crumbling heap on the floor, slightly smoking. Malfoy stopped harassing Snape and turned his attention to his Master. Snape did the same._

_"Yes Master." All three chorused in unison._

_"Maybe...just maybe Snape is right." Voldemort hissed in his shrill voice. "Dumbledore has been plotting against me since the very beginning! I bet he has got something under his sleeve concerning the brats! Perhaps...Perhaps we shall put or plan on hiatus for a while...until I get those children, at least one of them, in my clutches..."_

_"How long will we wait to regain our reign over the wizarding world then?" Lestrange questioned with her temper rising slowly._

_"As long as it takes for either Dumbledore to die or we find the only two children capable of defeating me. I will not take any chances of being knocked down by a mere child while I am in my prime!"_

_"But, Master-!" Malfoy exclaimed._

_"Keep your mouth shut Malfoy! I would hate to give one of my favorite death eaters the Pettigrew treatment!" Voldemort hissed angrily, pointing to Peter._

_They all remained quiet for a while just listening to the wind blow through the darkness._

_"Shall we be on our way then master?" Snape questioned stepping over Peter._

_"Let's. Malfoy, keep a close eye on Pettigrew until we here from those children!" Voldemort instructed as he whipped out an old stopwatch engraved with Thomas Marvolo Riddle, a portkey._

_"I wouldn't be surprised if the filthy drunk imagined the whole prophecy thing..." Lestrange muttered under her breath as she touched the portkey._

_Malfoy got real close to Peter's slightly charred face, "There better be something worth waiting for Pettigrew..." _

_When Peter didn't move or make any noise Lucius whipped out his wand._

_"Someone's gonna spend the next few years getting in touch with his furry side..." he said as he transfigured Peter into his animagus form and dumped him into his pocket. "Young Draco will be happy for another playmate." He remarked cackling._

The chilling voice faded out in Harry's head and in came the soft swishing of the waves milling up and down the slightly grassy shore. He cringed as a bit of wetness rolled under his outstretched leg. He rolled off his side, getting a few grains of rocky sand and scattered grass caught in his long dark rumpled mane. The blazing sun beat down onto his face until a shadow was cast over his resting figure.

"You think he's dead?" a familiar voice whispered cautiously. But of course every voice gets to be familiar when you live on a deserted island with the same ten people for fifteen years.

"Yeah, yeah!" another voice belonging to a toddler added eagerly as he poked Harry's bare stomach with a long stick.  Harry groaned and attempted to fan the nuisance away, unsuccessfully.

"Oh, you say yeah, yeah to _everything_, Milo!" the first voice said exasperatedly. 

"Hawwy, Hawwy, Hawwy..." Milo chanted, bouncing around Harry merrily.

Harry reached out and gripped at one of their ankles briskly.

"Ahhh!" the older boy yelped helplessly.

"Yeah, yeah, Hawwy!" Milo responded to his brother's sudden action by tugging at his shorts, indicating for him to get up.

"What _is_ it Alvin?" Harry croaked to the eleven year old, shielding his eyes from the light with his sandy hand. Harry stared up at the pudgy adolescents that had disrupted his six hour vacation away from everybody. Alvin's rust colored hair shimmered in the sunlight as his lower lip trembled slightly. His dark brown eyes shifted around nervously, giving Harry a big hint as to what he was about to say.

"Your mother wants to know if you wanted your lunch." Alvin replied rubbing his ankle carefully and shifting his eyes away from Harry's. Harry gave him a funny look and rolled his jade green eyes towards the sky.

"...Alvin this is the_ fifth _time you ate my lunch this week and it's only Saturday!" Harry exclaimed throwing his hands up.

"I didn't eat _all_ of it...I just took an itty bitty nibble...There's probably _one_ lobster patty left." Alvin muttered shifting his feet around in the sand.

"You would think your mother doesn't feed you..." Harry mumbled thrusting himself up on his palms. "What time is it anyway?" Harry questioned, dusting himself off.

"About...two, I think." answered a voice behind them. Harry glanced over his bare shoulder and saw his good friend Neville Longbottom grinning back at him. "What have you been doing out here all morning anyway? Planning a great escape?" Neville questioned sarcastically, cautiously stepping down from the rock.

"Why in fact I have! My boat made out of toilet tissue, seaweed, and human scabs is almost completed!" Harry said with false cheeriness.

"Room for two?" 

"Only if you can pull your weight on the S.S Harry. You know, power the scab sail by breath? I don't feel a breeze." Harry said, starting on the path back to the house. Neville, Alvin, and Milo followed.

"Yes, yes, but what do we do when the man eating sea bubbles get too near?" Neville said shielding his mouth with his hands as if he was terrified at the idea.

"We could always bring along Milo, he's small, doesn't take up much space, and he would make the perfect snack." Harry suggested.

"Yeah, yeah!" the two year old chirped, glad to hear he was included in his brother's escape plan.

Alvin looked at all three of them with a cocked eyebrow.

"You guys are weirdoes." he stated simply, walking ahead of them.

"You could come too, Alvin! We can tie you to the back of the boat and use you as a raft when worst comes to worst." Harry shouted after him.

"Nah, he would sink us and_ I _don't know how to swim..." Neville commented in a serious manner. 

Harry chuckled as Alvin turned to scowl at them. He headed into one of the modest houses they were nearing. The houses were both identical two stories painted white with red trimming. It looked as if the houses were just plopped in the middle of the sand and grass field surrounded by many tropical plants and bushy apple trees that were just beginning to sprout little white flowers. Over the horizon on all sides of them was sparkling blue water that looked tempting on a lukewarm day like this one.

"How can you live in this wretched place for fifteen years and not learn how to swim, it's an island!" Harry questioned Neville for about the millionth time.

"Let's just say I don't like trying things where the outcome of my failure is death by drowning." Neville said looking as sheepish as his younger brother Alvin did when he told Harry he ate his lunch.

"Then how do you eat soup?" Harry questioned with a grin as they entered Harry's house.

"What? How the heck would you drown in soup?" Neville asked incredulously, looking at Harry as if he was mad.

"You could fall asleep over a full bowl then _bam! _Potatoes and chicken floatin' up your nose!" Harry said dramatically, clogging up his nose with his fingers as if to demonstrate.

"Oh no! I'm never touching soup again!" Neville exclaimed extremely worried as they both stepped into Harry's kitchen where James Potter was reading the newspaper he had delivered every week via seagull (as to not arouse suspicion of an owl flying to the middle of the ocean every week).

"What a pity, your dad just told me he was cooking his famous clam chowder tonight!" James said eyeing them over the newspaper as Milo clambered onto his lap.

"Oh no, I better warn him!" Neville said, striding out of the kitchen.

"About drowning?" Harry questioned, looking up from the refrigerator.

_"No, the danger of clam bites!" _Neville remarked on his way out the door.

Harry scoffed a bit and returned to his quest for food. He had missed breakfast also so he was positively starving.

"I worry about that kid." James muttered as he returned his attention to the newspaper. Harry took a seat next to him at the table and sipped from a milk carton nosily.

"What have I told you about drinking from the carton?" James questioned in a mock stern manner.

"Err...the same thing you tell me about every bad habit I have: don't do it when mom's around." Harry said draining the carton.

"Mam, Mommy!" Milo squealed, poking his face from behind the newspaper and glancing over Harry's shoulder with his laughing hazel eyes. 

"Well it looks like you'll have to be punished then." Lily Potter's voice surprised them both.  She walked from her position at the doorway to Harry and plucked the empty carton out of his hand and smacked Harry on top of his head with it.

"Ow!" Harry exclaimed, reaching his hands up to protect his aching head.

"I have eyes everywhere, young man." Lily replied with a smirk on her face. 

"You should know that by now..." James muttered putting down his news paper to release a struggling Milo from his lap. 

"I'll keep that in mind..." Harry replied sarcastically. Seeing as the last drop of milk did not satisfy his great hunger, he got up and began to scan the cabinets.

Milo stood expectantly behind him with his hands on his hips.

"You hungry or something?" Harry asked a bit irritably, turning away from his search.

"Yeah, yeah!" Milo said as he nodded vigorously.

"Don't give him any more snacks. This little piggy helped Alvin finish off your lunch!" Lily said stepping up and grabbing Milo by his sides. He squirmed in her grip as she ruffled his curly black hair.

"About that. Why do you always give my meals away? I was just gone for a moment!" Harry mumbled, settling on making a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich. James scoffed at his comment.

"Try six hours! Where do you disappear to anyway, kid?" James questioned, plucking some of Harry's marshmallows out of his oozing sandwich once he was settled at the table again.

"Hmm...I stopped to the town square before I went to the arcade about ten miles from here...oh yeah, then I way down to the ice cream shop where I met some new kids!" Harry replied sarcastically before taking an angry chunk out of his sandwich. "Honestly, there are only so many places I can go on this rock! Where do you think I was?" Harry asked them a little more angrily them he attempted.

Lily and James both stared at Harry and sighed deeply.  They went through this a lot with him. 

"Well it's not like we enjoy having to be here, isolated from people either Harry." Lily commented testily while pouring herself some lemonade.

"It's not like we chose this..." James muttered, gazing out of the window with a blank, almost sad, look in his now dull hazel eyes.

"Oh, yes, blame it on me!" Harry exclaimed throwing down his sandwich in a tantrum. 

"Nobody's blaming anything on anyone." Lily said sternly.

"Why don't you just come out and say it?'If it wasn't for you Voldemort wouldn't be hunting us down!' I know you want to! Even I want to!" Harry hollered as he made his way out the kitchen in a flurry.

"...Well somebody's having a temper tantrum." James remarked, not taking his eyes off the window.

"What are we gonna do with him? He's been acting like this too much lately! None of the other kids have-" Lily went on, taking a seat next to James.

"None of the other kids have been here as long as Harry." James reminded her. "And _he_ has to live with the fact that we're basically here because of him."

"Neville too. You don't see him carrying on like this!" Lily commented.

"Neville and Harry are two different kids, Darling." James said finally turning around to face Lily. "He doesn't decide to run away for hours at a time so he can rant and rave at everybody later like Harry, and Harry doesn't go around paranoid at everything that happens. It's just the way they are."

"I suppose so..." Lily said letting out an exasperated sigh. "I bet he gets that from _you..._" she smirked.

"Me?" James questioned skeptically.

"Well, he sure doesn't get that bad temper from _me!_"

"Says the _redhead, _notorious for her temper..." smirked James, earning a smack on the arm from Lily.

"Not _all _redheads have temper problems, that's just a stereotype!"

"Don't worry Red, I like feisty girls!" he said, again getting clobbered by his wife.

Harry stumbled out into the backyard angrily trampling sprouts of grass in his path. He didn't really mean to get so steamed at his parents as often as he knew it was harder on them than it was on him. They hadn't seen their friends or families besides them for years. Dumbledore had put a strain to them receiving many letters because of the risk of them being intercepted. Harry's only friend outside the island, Austin also contacted him this way. They were only aloud to get mail other than newspapers and supplies once a month when Dumbledore visited or by the seagull he trained. Their fireplace was cut off from every floo network except for Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts and that was only for emergencies and for one trip to Diagon Alley to get a wand for each child once they turned eleven. Dumbledore insisted they be home schooled so once they finally got off the island they would be prepared to attend Hogwarts. Harry doubted that he would ever see life off of the island though. Even though Voldemort had not been heard from for the last fifteen years, besides the minor muggle murders by hostile and restless deatheaters, Dumbledore said he felt Voldemort was still out their, biding his time until he could find his potential destroyers.

Harry sat on the top of the hill facing the open field. On the bottom of the hill he spotted his two other siblings fourteen year old Ethan, better known as Ziggy, and twelve year old Rose, named after Harry's grandmother, along with Alvin in the shade of the apple tree. Ziggy shared a lot of Harry's characteristics including his brilliant eyes, his slightly crooked nose, the same gold rimmed rectangle glasses, and he was just about as lanky. The main difference in their appearance was that Ziggy had a wild bush prickly red hair that stuck out in all directions opposed to Harry's long ponytail of untamable black hair. Rose was a petite little twelve years old that was the image of Milo with her curly raven locks and her light hazel eyes. She reminded Harry of a more tomboyish version of his mother, as she was usually seen nagging people, especially Alvin. For this reason Harry found Rose the easiest person to talk to.  

Rose held a shiny pair of scissors in her hands as she stood over Ziggy who was crouched beneath her. Alvin just struggled to hang on to a low bough of the tree. Deciding he didn't want to be alone he trekked down there to join them. 

"Don't cut it to close to my head this time, you here?" Ziggy voiced, squinting his emerald eyes up to Rose who just tugged his wild auburn hair in all directions, trying to proportion it.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Rose muttered, snipping off some of the edges.

They all noticed Harry coming towards them.

"Whoa oh, can it be? Our illusive brother gracing us with his presence?" Ziggy questioned in mock awe, slapping his palm against his cheek.

Rose looked up at Harry and grinned curiously, still snipping away at Ziggy's hair.

"Damn, you came back! We were just about to divide up your stuff and I was gonna move into your room..." Rose said jokingly.

"Yes, you'll just have to wait until I get dragged off by a giant squid or what not." Harry said shaking the bough that Alvin clutched onto, roughly.

"Alright there, Vinny?" 

"Get aw-w-w-w-way jerk!" Alvin quivered helplessly as he kicked wildly barely missing Harry's face.

Harry plopped on the floor next to Ziggy, chuckling.

"Why do you always pick on him?" Rose reprimanded, tugging at Ziggy's hair toughly.

"Why does he always climb trees if he's afraid of heights?" Harry countered, the grin on his face still unwavering.

"He's got a point there." Neville said, approaching them from behind. He took a seat next to Harry on the grassy lawn. 

"Finally got the evil clams under control?" Harry questioned sniggering as Neville blushed deeply and looked away.

"Hey, you're cutting too much!" Ziggy wailed.

"Stop whining, I'm only cutting it down on one side!" Rose replied.

Harry observed Ziggy's hair with a cocked eyebrow.  It was hacked off in various places and due to Ziggy constantly moving nowhere was level making his already unkempt hair jut out even more. Harry looked at his brother and gave him a thumbs up. He knew Ziggy actually liked having his hair in a wild state and that's why everyone called him Ziggy.

"So what were you doing away so long Harry?" Rose questioned finally as she put the last finishing touches on Ziggy's head.

"No doubt harassing some poor misfortunate snake, planning an escape, hunting for buried treasure...you know the usual" Ziggy answered for him.

"You shouldn't talk to the snakes away from the garden Harry, the others can be dangerous!" Neville reminded him.

Ziggy scoffed at Neville's wariness.

"Did your mom tell you that one Neville?" 

"Of course!" Alvin chirped from in the tree. He had managed to climb higher and was beginning to loose his grip. "Ah...a little help here please!"

"Oh, calm down, Harry wasn't bothering any snakes...right Harry?" Rose questioned beginning to make her way up the tree.

"Actually, I dozed off." Harry answered, making Neville sigh with relief.

"-After being attacked by a venomous snake?" Ziggy questioned looking excited at the prospect of there being something dangerous on the island.

"No. By exhaustion because a certain idiot wouldn't stop screaming about aliens and what not in his sleep! Honestly, I don't know why Uncle Padfoot sent you those stupid comics in the first place!" Harry said glaring at a blushing Ziggy maliciously.

"Those things are really convincing..." He muttered while smoothing down his hair.

"Anyway, I had that weird dream again..." Harry continued, lying back down on his back. The warm grass felt good on his bare back which was chilly despite the warm weather.

Alvin gasped as his feet touched the ground. 

"You mean the one about _V-Voldemort?_" he whispered, as if Voldemort would jump out and attack him if he heard his name mentioned.

"Yeah. This time the blonde guy turned the fat guy into a rat!" Harry said.

"A rat? What would he do with a rat?" Rose questioned with a skeptical smile playing on her face.

"I betcha he's gonna probe it...he sounds like the type." Ziggy muttered.

Everybody turned to him.

"You don't know how wrong that sounds." Rose replied to him.

"He said he was gonna give it to somebody named...Draco to play with." 

Ziggy snorted loudly and leaned over Harry.

"_Draco?"_

"What kind of a name is that?" Alvin questioned starting to giggle lightly.

"Who knows, maybe it's a popular name in the_ real world_." Harry remarked, his anger from earlier surfacing again.

Everybody remained silent for a while.

"We'll never get off of this stupid island will we?" Alvin muttered with his bottom lip poking out as if he were about to start crying from self pity.

"Nope, were doomed to be here for life just because of some freak that looks like a snake's got issues with muggles." Neville said. 

"Ten castaways, damned to live life on this deserted island forever! Fate has dealt us a cruel hand indeed!" Ziggy said overdramatically, draping his arm over his eyes.

"Oh get over it! Look on the bright side-" Rose started.

"_What_ bright side, idiot?" Ziggy said scowling at his younger sister.

"...No...no Dark Lord has come to kill us yet?" Rose suggested.

"How, super!" Ziggy exclaimed sarcastically.

"I kinda wish the weak lout _would _show his face. Then we'd show him, right guys? First I'd knock him off his toes, and then I'll aim to his face while you two start out with the hexes!" Alvin questioned determinedly, jumping around, attacking the air.

"Yeah, then he'd wipe us all out with one curse." Neville added.

"Don't be so glum guys. We'll get off of the island someday." Rose said trying to perk everyone's spirits up.

"Yeah, the day he wipes us all off with one curse, I told you." Neville replied again.

"Why do you _always_ try to ruin our bad moods?" Ziggy asked in mock annoyance.

"Because, the thought of me dieing here, never ever experiencing all the things I've been deprived of is just _too _depressing." 

"Things like what?" Neville asked with curiosity displayed on his face.

Rose settled on the lowest branch of the apple tree and thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, things like talking to another girl because talking to you four all the time is driving me insane...and well being able to do everyday things, I suppose...going a whole day without seeing a familiar face would be sweet...and of course," she batted her eyes dramatically at Ziggy. "I've always dreamt of falling in love with a handsome guy who would take me away on his noble steed into a crowded city where we would live for the rest of eternity surrounded by a whole variety of people that don't include you four." she finished, sighing deeply.

"That sounds nice." Alvin added dreamily, making everybody turn to eye him suspiciously.

"Not the part with the guy, the other crap." he added very quickly and unconvincingly, making everyone laugh.

"I think we _all_ wish _somebody _would just whisk us away from here." 

"Na uh! If all girls are like Rose I'm better off alone..." Ziggy muttered.

"Believe me they are." Harry said.

"What's wrong with Rose? I like the way she is." Alvin said.

"You like _anybody _who'll make sure you don't fall and bust your ass hanging out of a tree..." Ziggy muttered, lying down on his back next to Harry.

"What makes you think you know how girls act? You've been stuck on this island longer than any of us Harry!" Rose exclaimed from above in the tree.

"Austin writes me about _everything_."

"What's up with Milo?" Neville said pointing over the horizon towards the house.

Harry sprang up from off of his back to see Milo sprinting towards them as fast as his little legs could carry him. He had an excited grin on his face and ran with his arm pointing straight up in the air with his index finger extended.

"What's he saying?" Ziggy muttered, scrunching up his face in confusion.

"Sounds like he's saying 'turdy'." Alvin giggled.

"No listen!" 

_"Birdie, birdie! Birdie birdie!" _Milo chanted in a distance.

"Bird?" Neville called out.

Milo paused and nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, yeah!" he said breathlessly, still pointing up.

Everybody looked up and saw a seagull swooping down towards the front of the house, carrying the monthly stack of letters.

**AN- It's all a cycle. I write chapters...you write reviews...I get fluffery feeling...fluffery turns to inspiration...I write chapter...get the picture?**

**Next Chapter: A Wish Come True**


	3. A Dream Come True

Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters...just the plot.

"What'd we get, what'd we get?" Alvin questioned urgently, hopping on his toes to get a glimpse of a plain brown box amidst of the letters. 

"Calm _down _son, the food isn't going anywhere..." Frank Longbottom muttered with a grin on his face as he helped James unhitch the box from the seagull's webbed feet. Alvin looked a lot like Mr. Longbottom seeing as they both had the same rusty colored hair, blue eyes, and facial figures like his small ears and nose. However, Alvin seemed to be growing rather short and plump like Mrs. Longbottom.

"Any comics?" Ziggy asked, straining to see over Alvin's bouncing head.

"Any band aids?" Neville asked hopefully trying to edge closer to the package.

"We already _have _those, Nev." Harry reminded him, sifting through the letters.

"You can never be too careful." 

"Let's take it inside the house before we open it kids." Lily suggested.

"I want my Twinkies now!" Alvin whined, scrunching up his pudgy face in frustration.

"Yeah, yeah!" Milo chirped, clambering on top of the box.

"You'll have to wait Darling." Alice Longbottom said sternly. Alvin kicked at the sand grudgingly and tucked in his lip.

"Fine Ma." he muttered.

"Let's go in, I need issue fourteen of _Dude, Where's my Spaceship _now!" Ziggy said.

Frank reached down in his khaki robes for his wand before Alvin clamped down on his arm.

"Ooh, ooh, let me Daddy, I've been practicing!" He begged, forgetting about his previous anger.

"I don't know..." Frank replied cautiously.  
  


"I'm really good!"

"Well...okay, as long as you've been practicing..." Alice went on.

"No way, he'll start a fire again!" Ziggy protested.

"That's because you made him use _your _wand, he has his own this time." Harry reminded.

"Yeah, gimme a break here!" Alvin shouted searching in his robes for his brand new wand he had just gotten last month when he had been allowed to leave the island for the first time. After about two minutes of searching everybody started to get impatient.

"It's in your _pants _moron." Ziggy informed him, grinning slightly at the younger boy's forgetfulness.

"Oh yeah! I remember." Alvin said reaching for the stick pointing out of his belt, against his back. "Okay," he said presenting his mahogany wand. "I'm ready!"

"Yaaay..." Neville muttered sarcastically but Alvin seemed to ignore him.

"_Ahem." _he cleared his throat thoroughly before scrunching up his face to think of the spell. "Oh yeah! _Wingardium Leverosa!"_ he shouted, pointing his wand to the box that Milo sat on staring at him expectantly. The box just jumped for a second before plopping down again.

"Wingardium _Leviosa_." Lily corrected him lightly.

  
"I knew that! Wingardium Leviosa!" he repeated doing frantic swish and flick movements with his wand hand.

The box rose slightly from the ground only about three feet at first but continued on rising slowly before it reached five.

"Yeah, yeah, this fun!" Milo said giggling form on top of the box.

"I'll bet you three Twinkies Alvin makes him fall off." Ziggy muttered to Harry.

"_Ethan." _Lily said in a warning tone.

"How about two and one of your stupid comics?" Harry suggested.

_"Harry!"_ Lily said disapprovingly. "Do not _bet_ on the welfare of your _brother_!"

"You guys are breaking my concentration!" Alvin said while slowly directing the box to his house.

"Oh we know how easy it is to do that..." Ziggy muttered.

In about five minutes the box was floating serenely in the Longbottom's living room.

"Okay son you can let it down now." Alice told Alvin.

"Actually...I can't..." Alvin muttered, shaking his wand vigorously.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" Ziggy said snatching his wand from him resulting in the box's crash down to the ground.

"Hey! You made it land on my sweater!" Neville cried.

"My bad." Ziggy replied cutting open the box with the pocketknife he had received from Remus on his fifth birthday. He hastily threw open the flaps of cardboard to reveal cases of various drinks and foods and various gifts for everyone which included comics for Ziggy, polish for the broom James requested to be sent for Harry's Nimbus 2000, books for Rose, special plant food from Neville's grandmother, and extra Twinkies to satisfy Alvin.

"Yes, he sent me issues 14 _and_ 15!" Ziggy exclaimed merrily skipping out of the room followed by Alvin who munched happily on his Twinkie balancing Rose's books on his head. 

"Mine?" Milo questioned tugging at Harry's shorts holding up a bottle of broom polish.

"No, mine." Harry corrected. "_This _is yours." Harry said handing him a fleecy yellow blanket that had _Milo _stitched in the upper right hand corner in red letters. This was probably from Sirius's wife Lindsay who was good at knitting and stuff like that.

"Ooh, pweety! Here Hawwy!" Milo replied, throwing up the bottle and scampering off with his new possession.

"I sure hope he doesn't find a way to set _this _one on fire..." James muttered watching him go as he helped unpack the box.

"He will. He _always_ does. Let's just hope nothing of mine's gets in the crossfire _this_ time." Neville said slightly darkly. "Well I'm off to feed Hugo." Neville said taking the large sack of plant food over his shoulder. He was referring to the oddly exotic plant his Grandmother had sent him for his last birthday. He shuffled out of the room and then paused and looked over his shoulder.

"You coming Harry?" he questioned. Harry considered it for a moment before shaking his head.'

"Nah. I'm gonna...read up on life on the outside." he replied pointing to the stack of letters that was toppling over on the carpet.

"Suit yourself. You don't know what you're missing..."

"Gallons of stink sap." Harry muttered as he stuffed a particularly thick letter in his robe pocket.

"Harry, you're missing a valuable lesson in Herbology right now..." Lily said with a slight grin on her face. She knew that Harry couldn't go within a foot close to Neville's plant without getting stink sap or some other sticky goo spurted at him.

"Oh pity, the Professor will never give me a decent grade _now_." He muttered in a highly sarcastic tone as he walked out of the room. 

"You'll never become an auror with that attitude young man." Frank Longbottom warned.

This made Harry stop in his tracks and turn to face Mr. Longbottom fiercely.

"Now what kind of auror would _I _make if the only practice I've had in defending myself from dark arts is hiding away on a rock in the middle of some ocean?" he replied acidly leaving them speechless as he strode out of the room. Harry didn't mean for what he said to sound so angry but he always got a bit miffed when the adults mentioned him impairing his future when he didn't have much of a present.

Lily sighed exasperatedly as her oldest son left the room. 

"He's been doing that a lot lately?" Alice questioned with a hint of sympathy in her voice. Lily couldn't tell if she was sympathizing for Harry or for the way Harry had been treating _them_.

"Have you _not _heard him speak for the last three years in general?" James replied running a frustrated hand through his already unruly hair.

"It seems like that's all he says to us. It's not just him, _all _the kids want to know when they'll be able to live their lives normally and do the things we've been telling them about all these years." 

"...Maybe it _is _time for them to stop hiding. My mother always used to say you should stand up to your problems." Frank suggested as James eyed him skeptically.

"Yeah, that was when your only problem was making it to the Gryffindor Common room without getting hexed by Lucius Malfoy, not Voldemort." he replied to him snorting.

"Meh, what's the difference?" Frank shrugged, continuing to gather the objects from the box.

Harry trudged through his backyard with a slight scowl on his face. He always felt guilty for always being annoyed at his parents but he couldn't help it. He thought of heading to his secluded spot on the beach but thought twice remembering it wasn't so secluded anymore that Alvin had discovered it. About every week Harry tried to find secret places where he could escape to when he felt to...stifle. 

He approached the giant apple tree his younger siblings and friends had previously occupied, glad to find that only Rose remained. He never minded having Rose for company as she listened to Harry whine no matter how many times she heard it before.

Harry stepped into the shade of the tree and looked up to see his sister lounging on a high tree branch flipping through the new books that Alvin had delivered to her from the box.

"Room for one more up there?" Harry questioned. Rose looked down startled at Harry's sudden presence and then grinned.

"I don't know what do you have to offer me?" she asked.

"Er, my gratitude?"

"Cheapskate." she grinned as she offered Harry a hand to get up the tree.

Once Harry was seated on the branch slightly lower than Rose he began to dig through his robes in search of his letter.

"Watcha got there, my dear Watson?" Rose questioned over her book, _Sherlock Holmes_. She gave Harry different nicknames according to the book she was reading like when she was into westerns she would call him Slim or her Shakespeare she would call him Romeo from her favorite play.

"Letters from Austin." He replied unfolding the thick envelope. He shook it twice before something shiny slipped out onto his lap followed by a golden ball. 

"What's that?" Rose questioned.

Harry inspected the two objects closer before answering.

"He sent us another snitch to play with. And a...mirror?" 

"Why would he send a mirror?" Rose questioned plucking it from Harry's hands. It was about the size of a book, not huge and it had a slightly tarnished golden border.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Harry replied unfolding the letter.

"Lemme read it!" Rose said trying to snatch the letter unsuccessfully. 

"It has my name on it. _Ahem...Dear Harry, Neville, and everybody else on the island. Anything new? Well I'm gonna automatically think you're rolling your eyes at my stupid question and tell you how I've been, since _everyone _loves me!-" _Harry started.

"Oh, brother he's delusional." Rose muttered.

_"Well me and Connor have been shipped back to Hogwarts as you may know.-"_

"Lucky."

_"Mom made me promise not to pick on him and his geeky little weirdo friends so you can guess what that meant. Yup, three morons second years tortured me on the entire ride and there was nothing I could do about it! But Dad says pranks build your character so I got them back when we got to school. Couldn't do anything _too _good cause of Hermione, my friend the smartass gone prefect-*swervy scribble* she hit me just now so you can see what type of person _she _is. The only reason she treats me like that I because she, like all the other girls of the school, has the hots for me-*swervy scribble*, okay I get the point!"_

Rose interrupted Harry with a light giggle.

_"Anyway classes have been...yeah, you know how _that _is but, well let me tell you about the team. Guess what? I'm captain this year!!!!! Oh yeah!!!! I rule!!! But there's a downside. Most of the team left me behind and I'm stuck watching tryouts for the team for little snotnose second years who think they have what it takes. Speaking of captains, Cedric Diggory, captain of the Hufflepuff team left so you know what that means...yup, 'Welcome to the hall of forgotten boyfriends' to Diggory and Cho will be mine!!! Muhahahaha!!!-"_

"'Muhahahaha?' What _is_ that conceited idiot on?" 

_"Ahem, anyway everybody in the dorm is looking at me funny so I'll knock it off. Me, and the guys, Seamus, Dean, and that idiot Ron has got a new er, accomplish I should say. I suppose I told you about Dominick? He's Uncle Moony's nephew. He's a bit odd...But how couldn't you after what he's been through I suppose...Dumbledore's worried about the you-know-what charm wearing off. There's been a bit of Dark Art activity from some death eaters that are getting restless Dad says. That's why Dominick lives with Uncle Moony now. Apparently his dad, Uncle Moony's bro Romulus, was a death eater. He went mad or something and went on some sort of killing spree at the ministry of magic with some other death eaters who couldn't get a grip, demanding some prophecy for a clue as to where you guys might be. Long story short, he was sent to Azkaban and the officials went to inform his wife but they found her hacked up or something in front of Dominick who was tied to a chair. Lupin says loonies run in his family...-"_

"That's _horrible_. How could someone do that?" Rose questioned appalled. 

_"So on a lighter note, I got the greatest news!!! You're probably wondering why the heck would I send you a mirror, but its no ordinary mirror. Before we left for Hogwarts mom forced me to clean out the attic. I was digging through Dad's school trunk and I found these two mirrors. Dad told me that there really communication device thingies that he and your dad used to use in their Hogwarts days (so they're practically ANCIENT!). Get this, whoever has the other mirror you call their name into the mirror and they appear! And guess who has the other mirror buddy? Mom and Dumbledore said it was a bad idea to send it to you and a whole bunch of crap like that so of course, you have one now.-"_

"Oh _that's _brilliant. Honestly, is he trying to get us killed?" Rose snorted out.

"At least we get to communicate with other humans more than once a month now..."

"Finish reading." Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"_So call me as soon as you get this, you here? I'll be waiting! Sincerely, Austin, the Great! P.S. Everyone here sends their love...P.P.S. Tell Ziggy to take care of my comics as I'm just loaning them to him! Kudos! P.P.P.S I don't know what the hell that word means but it sounded nice to use in a letter."_

"You gonna try it Harry?" Rose asked eagerly. Deep down Harry knew she wanted to talk to kids with normal lives as much as he did even though she thought it was dangerous.

"I suppose so..." Harry replied, fingering the mirror.

"I think you should tell Mom and Dad..." Rose said uneasily.

"No! They'd just take it from me! They never let me do anything!" Harry whined, crossing his arms like a pouty child.

"It could be dangerous!"

"Oh yeah, Doc's suddenly gonna morph into Voldemort and kill us all..." Harry muttered sarcastically.

"Okay, the chances of that happening are slim, but what if-" 

"What if _what_?" Harry demanded slightly annoyed.

"It could get into the wrong hands!"

"I highly doubt any death eaters are strolling around Hogwarts..."

"You should still tell Mom and Dad, just in case."

"Tell us what, Rosie?" James questioned, making his sudden presence known. Harry and Rose looked at each other alarmed before turning to their father and shaking their heads sharply. Even if Rose didn't approve of the mirror, she would never snitch on Harry.

"That...That..."

"That Austin says Dumbledore thinks the charm may be wearing off." Rose finished for Harry.

"No biggie." Harry managed to get out. He noticed James looked a bit shocked then worried at what they told him.

"Austin always says things like that." Rose said, reassuring her father.

"Remember when he said the Chudley Cannons were going to win the Quidditch Cup?" Harry added nervously.

James looked at them sternly without saying anything for a while.

"Your mother wants you Rosie." James said finally, motioning to the house.

Rose looked helplessly at Harry before hopping out of the tree and walking slowly towards the house, leaving Harry and James alone.

"Harry," he started once they were alone, "I don't want you to tell this to anybody, you hear me?" James said in a serious tone. Harry was surprised that James actually believed _Austin._

"Don't go alarming your brother's or Alvin and Neville either."

"Is it...true, Dad?" Harry questioned in a whisper.

"...Harry, I really don't want you in adult matters-"

"Adult matters?! Our safety is an adult matter?" Harry replied testily. He felt his anger rising again.

They resumed staring each other down for what felt like an hour but in reality was really five minutes. James finally gave in and sighed deeply.

"Harry, Dumbledore's just saying the charms not as strong as it could be." he said reluctantly.

"So, _he _could find us?"

"..I suppose there is a possibility."

"Then let's get the hell out of here! There's no sense in us sitting around like a bunch of sitting ducks!" Harry hollered a little more fiercely than he intended.

"Where do you suppose we go? Out in the open where he can have both of you in a snap?" James questioned, getting slightly hysterical as his anger was growing too. They were similar in that way, Harry and James. Lily often claimed that Harry received his short temper from his father.

"It's better than this place!"

James gaze softened into a melancholy expression as he watched his oldest son glare at him. 

"You really think so? I was on the outside when Voldemort was in power. Those were dark times Harry. I'd rather you stay here protected for the rest of your life than out there when he comes back." James replied softly as he turned on his heel to leave.

Harry just stared blankly at his father's retreating figure as he sat there motionless on the tree branch. His father was one of the bravest men he knew and to hear him say he rather hide like a coward for the rest of his life than to face this Voldemort guy really was saying something.

"Make a move." Harry said impatiently to his younger brother. 

"Don't rush me!" Ziggy replied, scratching his chin in deep thought. He creased his auburn eyebrows deeply, making little wrinkles on his forehead. Harry wondered if he would eventually strain something if he thought too hard.

"I bet Harry will win after this one move..." Alvin muttered to Neville as he nudged him slightly. They were also seated farther down the picnic table alongside Milo who was bouncing up and down in place in his seat anxiously waiting for the next move.

"Hey!" Ziggy said in a protesting tone to who was supposed to be his good friend. Harry thought he should be used to ridicule at chess by now after about ten years of loosing repeatedly to him.

"He's already won; he's just giving him some time to wriggle around..." Rose whispered, not wanting to break one of Ziggy's rare streaks of concentration. She joining the on the outside picnic table, plopping down next to Alvin who was patting the space next to him eagerly. Rose took her seat and handed everyone a dinner plate which they all sat aside to watch Ziggy make his losing move.

"...Bishop to...E3..." Ziggy muttered sounding unsure. His bishop slid across the board and clobbered one of Harry's knights maliciously.  

"Ha!" Ziggy exclaimed haughtily, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He silently bragged to Harry through eye contact, thinking he had just made a winning move.

"Keep watching..." Harry muttered letting out a particularly large yawn, demonstrating what a boring challenge Ziggy was. Ever since Harry was younger he had always been a pro at wizard's chess. Time after time Ziggy challenged him in hopes to defeat him once and for all to stop his stupid gloating but he had never succeeded.

As soon as Ziggy's bishop rotted itself frozen in the place of Harry's knight which was still in shambles at the bishop's feet, Harry's queen began to glide gracefully across the board from her resting place behind her barrage of pawns. Ziggy watched in horror as the queen made its way towards his side of the board where his king stood unprotected.

"...How did you do that?" Ziggy questioned, narrowing his eye suspiciously in Harry's direction. Harry just shrugged it off and began to collect the broken pieces of Ziggy's king, trying to avoid the bitter pawns that remained scattered around the king who attempted to protect their majesty.

"I win the bet!" Alvin exclaimed merrily as he turned to Neville. 

"...But we _knew _Harry would win...It's not as if he had any _real _competition." Neville replied to his eager little brother whose gallant expression immediately sagged upon hearing the information that he didn't win anything.

"I'm still here you know...I can hear you bad mouth me." Ziggy spat out to them.

"My turn Hawwy, my turn!" Milo exclaimed enthusiastically as he scooted down the bench so he was next to Harry. He snatched the pieces out of Harry's grasp and began plopping them down in random places.

"You can't play, it's my turn!" Ziggy whined, sounding more like a three year old than Milo, who actually _was _three. He struggled to take the remaining pieces from Milo's surprisingly tight grip.

"Nope, my turn." Milo corrected him calmly.

"Give it up man, you're finished!" Neville said to Ziggy who looked pretty pathetic, struggling with a three year old that way.

"I said I would teach him..." Harry informed Ziggy quietly.

"What's the use? He'll probably ignite the board anyway." Ziggy protested to his older brother defiantly.

"Lemme alone!" Milo said with a tone of finality.

"Make me." Ziggy spat stubbornly.

"You are _so _childish," remarked Rose, letting out a short giggle.

"_I'm _the childish one? At least I can play chess." Ziggy replied with a boasting grin on his face.

"You're fourteen, he's three, and can you see the difference?" Alvin questioned with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"I can," Neville spoke up.

At that moment Milo paused from his temporary struggle with Ziggy and drew up one hand close to his face. He bent his little index finger and curled it into his thumb before placing his hand in front of Ziggy's nose.

"Look it." Milo commanded lightly to Ziggy who readily complied. He focused his glare on Milo's tiny hand which was outstretched to reach directly under his nose.

"I don't see- _ow!_" Ziggy howled as Milo's index finger sprang free and collided with the tip of his nose. His hands darted up to his nose to protect it from any further damage, as his stolen chess pieces dropped back onto the board. Milo swept up the pieces merrily with one hand.

"Milo's smarter." Neville stated matter-of-factly.

"I think I'm gonna have a nose bleed..." 

"Bad Ethan." Milo said to him, shaking a finger.

"I hate that name! Don't anybody ever call me that!"

_"Ethan, _put away your games, dinner is ready." Lily announced as she came out from the back door holding a dish of fresh salad. Out the door came James and Alice followed by Frank, who were also carrying dishes of food.

They came to the picnic table and placed down the dishes of steaming food which taunted Harry's nose, drawing out a particularly loud growl from his gut.

"Sounds like somebody's hungry..." Rose teased as she lightly poked Harry's stomach with the pointy end of her fork.

"Somebody's been having their lunches stolen." Harry muttered in Alvin's direction making him blush slightly as he dipped a spoon in his steaming bowl of clam chowder.

Despite his growing hunger, Harry leaned back in his chair as he made sure everybody else got themselves a share of the food first. Dinner had always been Harry's favorite part of the day. It wasn't just the food (though _he _might say so) but he enjoyed the feeling of everybody being together. You'd think he'd get enough of that living on a deserted island with them for fifteen years. He closed his eyes as he listened to the buzzing activity of the dinner table. Milo chattering endlessly about everything and anything to anybody who would listen (which seemed to be Neville and Mrs. Longbottom that time), the clanking of spoons and platters shrouding over the calm swishing noise the ocean made lapping up on the nearby shore, James and Frank chatting in hushed tones with serious looks embedded on their faces...As far as Harry knew everything seemed alright with the world except for the little voice in the back of his head warning him that something bad was going to happen. As if given a signal, a little muffled voice sounded from inside Harry's robe.

_"Harryyyy...." _the muffled voice wavered through the fabric of Harry's robes. Rose, who was sitting at his right immediately, dropped her fork with a clang as she turned briskly to Harry.

"What was that?" she hissed quietly to him, careful not to attract any attention to Harry as no one except for her and Harry had heard anything out of the ordinary.

"I don't know," Harry mouthed helplessly in response.

_"Harryyy...-He's not there, this is the fifth time this week-" _A female voice interrupted the first sternly. _"I see something though-"_

Harry rose abruptly from his seat before anyone else got the chance to hear the conversation going on in his pocket. He clumsily stumbled over the bench and began his way to the house as everyone stared at him a bit oddly.

"...You okay Harry?" James questioned looking slightly worried. Harry didn't usually just get up without excusing himself first.

"Err, yeah, I gotta go to the bathroom, must've drank too much...salad." Harry replied, naming off the first thing on the table he saw.

"You _drank_ too much _salad_?" Alvin questioned skeptically, stabbing a fork at his own salad.

"Yeah, my bladder must be shrinking, I swear..." Harry responded in a distracted manner, heading off to the back door. 

Soon after Harry disappeared to the house Ziggy too rose from his seat about the same time as Rose. 

"Where are you two going?" Alice asked suspiciously from across the table.

"Err...we have to help Harry." they responded in time with each other speedily.

"Help him with what? You have to hold it for him?" Alvin questioned with a mouth full of food, giggling slightly so all the half chewed food was expose.

"Close your mouth twerp." Ziggy muttered through clenched teeth as he turned on his heel and followed Rose across the lawn to the house swiftly.

"Hey, I think they're up to something." Alvin hissed to Neville.

"You wanna go check it out?"

Alvin glanced back and forth between the door leading to the house and the two unsupervised platters of food that were next to his nearly empty one. 

"Err...."

"Alvin?"

"Um..."

"_Alvin_?"

"Ahh..."

"Alvin!"

"We should wait." He finally replied scooting the two plates closer to him slowly...

Harry slammed his bedroom door behind him briskly and threw off his cloak onto the bed. He then ran his hands through all the pockets until his hands clashed with something with a cold flat surface.

_"I see a hand!" _one of the voices shouted, a male. _"Congratulations, now we can live our lives in peace because Doc saw *gasp* a hand." _a third voice replied sarcastically as Harry pulled out the mirror he had received from Austin a few hours ago. When Harry looked into the glass of the mirror he heard a real gasp escape the third person's mouth right before Rose burst into the room panting. Harry immediately dropped the mirror to the floor where it collided with the rug.

_"Hey, he dropped me!"_

"Harry what was that?" Rose asked nearly out of breath. It was clear that she ran all the way from outside to upstairs.

"The mirror!"

"It works?" Rose questioned unbelievingly.

"It works!" Harry confirmed with a massive grin spreading across his radiant face.

_"We work!"_ the two voices cheered from its face down position on the floor.

"...Austin?" Harry called out cautiously as he crept over and flipped over the mirror swiftly.

"Harry!" replied a face Harry had only seen before in pictures. 

A boy with wavy dark auburn hair that scattered across his forehead and flowed down to his shoulders in an attractive way. His turquoise eyes twinkled with delight and joy as he gazed back at Harry with a slightly crooked grin outstretched on his handsome face, the grin Harry recognized from the photograph they had received over four years ago. Harry thought the boy resembled his father's old school friend, Sirius Black except for the black hair. 

"And who are you Miss?" Austin asked in a silky, deeper voice as his eyes darted to Rose who gaped slightly at Harry's side.

"...It's me you idiot, Rose." she squeaked out blushing slightly at the fact that Austin didn't recognize her.

"...Twerp! You've...grown." he replied, scanning his yes up and down Rose through the small mirror. Rose had indeed grown since the last picture Austin had seen of her, a picture of a mud covered seven year old version of her pining down a round six year old, Alvin, down in the mud.

"Austin, wow, it works!" Harry interrupted, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the way Austin was staring at his _twelve year old _sister.

"It works!" he responded gladly.

"We established this..." said a voice from Austin's side. It appeared to be a girl. Harry confirmed this as she pushed a struggling Austin to the side.

"You've said hi already perv boy. Lemme talk to Harry!" she shouted, smashing a seemingly heavy object on top of Austin's head making him let out a squeamish noise of pain.

Harry had never seen this girl before. She had slightly paler skin than Austin that took the shade of slightly tinted cream. It was a deep contrast to her curly raven locks that fell over her shoulders covering over the section of her uniform sweater that Harry could see. By her blue and gray tie that showed under her curtain of hair Harry could tell she was in Ravenclaw. His parents and the Longbottoms often told him about Hogwarts so he knew almost as much as a student attending there would know. Her hazel-blue eyes beamed at Harry as she waved merrily at him and Rose.

"Oh, this is so cool!" she squealed.

"Er, hi. Who are you?" Harry responded politely, waving back somewhat unsurely.

"I'm one of Doc's...friends...in a way." she replied after a while.

_"She's some sicko stalker that's kind of my girlfriend-" _Austin replied from the side before receiving a smack from the girl yet again.

"Oh, you must be...Herm...own-ninny." Harry said remembering the girl that Austin often wrote about.

_"Ha!" _he heard Austin snort from the side.

"Right..." the girl said chuckling back to him, "First of all Cutey, it's pronounced 'Herm-I-own-nee', second of all Austin thinks _everybody _and _anybody _that breathes near him is begging to be his girlfriend when most of us are asking for the opposite-"

"Hey!" he protested defending himself.

"Third of all, I'm Paige, (everybody on the count of three, *1,2,3* "Dun Dunn Dunnn...) Paige Snape. I _guess _you could call me Doc's friend..." 

"Hi Paige, I'm Rose and he's Harry." Rose introduced in a friendly way.

"And I'm Ziggy." Ziggy chirped as he seemingly popped out of nowhere.

"Ahh!" Rose shrieked from surprise as Ziggy's spiky red head made its way between Harry and her.

"Ahh!" Harry screamed in unison as he plunged the mirror under his pillow protectively.

_"Ahh!" _Ziggy screeched in a high pitched voice much unlike his own making Rose and Harry look at him oddly.

"Well...everyone else was screaming..." he replied shrugging as he reached under the pillow and pulled out the mirror.

"How many people do you live around that can speak English?" Paige questioned curiously.

"What?" Harry asked totally confused. Then he noticed Austin standing in the background shaking his head vigorously mouthing no.

"You guys live in Fukuoka right? _Austin _said you guys are exchange students in Japan or something-" Paige said as she was booted away from the mirror's face rather abruptly by Austin.

"Hermione's calling you right now Paige." Austin said through clenched teeth quickly.

_"...No I'm not I'm right here." _Another voiced called out from the side.

In the background a girl somewhat camouflaged in a giant plushy looking chair next to a grand looking fire place set down her large book on the chestnut coffee table next to her and stared at Austin suspiciously. Harry didn't know how he could've missed the girl as her massive wave of slightly bushy tan hair contrasted from the nearly all burgundy room.

"Oh, Harry, Rose, Ziggy, meet Hermione." Paige said as she snatched the mirror from Austin and focused on the girl, Hermione, who ignored them and walked towards Austin with a stern expression on her face.

"You're sending your little trouble making contraptions _overseas _now? I can not believe you Austin!" she exclaimed as she sighed exasperatedly.

"I can!" said a small voice from the other side of the nearly deserted room. Harry couldn't tell where it came from but it sounded as if it belonged to a younger boy.

"Do you _want _me to loose my badge over you?" Harry noticed a small badge pinned to Hermione's front robes marked with a shiny P.

"If you could just bend one little rule...-"

"Enough of the bending rules already!"

"Er, Herm, we have guests..." Paige informed from behind the mirror. Hermione's head snapped around suddenly and her expression changed entirely. I polite smile spread over her face replacing the fierce scowl she gave to Austin.

"Hello there." she said in a totally different voice.

"Er, hi. So _you're _Hermione. Nice to meet you, I'm Harry." Harry introduced in a friendly tone.

"So _you're _the one Austin calls the bossy know-it-all fluff ball..." Ziggy commented after Harry. Rose snickered slightly as Hermione's head whipped around to Austin who cowered in a chair denying this. Hermione let out an odd growling noise as she whipped out her wand and upon this Austin yelped and fled out off the mirror's view. Paige watched them wordlessly for a moment as Austin hopped out of the portrait hole followed closely by Hermione who didn't bother to run before turning back to Harry, Rose and Ziggy.

"Err, how about I give you guys a tour!"

"Cool!" Rose exclaimed in an excited manner. Harry and Ziggy also looked very interested in seeing the place they dreamed about attending for the first time.

"Let's be on our way then...First of all this is the Gryffindor Common room, a place where many Gryffindors hang out...and me of course, the resident Ravenclaw that _everybody _has to love..."

"I'm...stuffed..." Alvin muttered out as he attempted to hold in a particularly large belch.

"...I didn't think he could do it..." James said in awe as he watched Alvin closely along with the other adults and Neville.

"How did you manage to eat three whole dinners in under fifteen minutes?" Alice questioned her youngest son with an expression of mixed awe and fear etched on her face.

"Ugh...I think I'm gonna hurl..." Alvin managed to sputter out. Neville cautiously scooted away from him on the bench.

"You should pace yourself young man..." Frank said returning to his half eaten dinner.

"It's their fault...they know how I get about lonely food..." 

"Where did they go anyway?" Lily said setting down her utensils suddenly. "It's been about fifteen minutes..."

"Mirror! Mirror!" Milo said with a mouth full.

"You shouldn't speak with your mouth full, its bad manners. Or chew with your mouth open either. I wonder where you learn these bad manners." Lily said sternly turning to her husband who was busy plowing his mouth full with food. 

"They went to help Harry." Neville reminded them getting slightly uncomfortable. He had a feeling that whatever they were up to had a good reason not to be at the table in front of the adults.

"In the bathroom?" Frank asked skeptically.

"Maybe he had to go #2?" Alvin suggested.

"...Alvin that's gross." Neville hissed down the table dropping his fork.

"It wasn't enough that_ I _wiped his ass until he was four? He _still_ needs _help_? Puh...that kid..." James replied sarcastically as he swallowed a large gulp of food.

"I think should check on them..." Lily suggested rising from her seat.

"No!" Neville screamed out desperately. He felt he had a responsibility to protect his friends from trouble no matter what stupid thing they were doing...

Lily stared back at Neville waiting for an explanation of his outburst.

"Err...um...ahh..." Neville managed to sputter out, gripping the air for an excuse to stall Lily.

"There are...there are..." Alvin added, suddenly understanding hat Neville was trying to do.

"-Certain things...a mother shouldn't..."

"-See when her son's..."

"-On the toilet." Neville finished, satisfied with the reasonable excuse he and Alvin had thought up.

Lily made some sort of slightly derisive noise as she grinned slightly at the two boys.

"I'm his _mother_. Like I've haven't seen it about a million times already..." she muttered as she headed off to the house.

"Well...we tried." Alvin whispered to Neville shrugging. "So...what's for dessert?"

"...and this is where we walk to go to potions...-" Paige narrated for them as she maneuvered the mirror around the dreary corridors of the bleak dungeon as Harry, Rose, and Ziggy watched intrigued. 

"The dreaded subject with the dreaded Snape!" Austin wheezed in an exaggerated choked out voice as he made slicing motions to his neck with his finger. When Hermione had finally caught up with him she hexed his hair, his most prized feature, to a nasty yellowish green, his most despised color and for some strange reason he had a tail and floppy ears. His hair was just beginning to fade back into its natural dark auburn color Harry noted.

The potions corridor had to be the most unattractive place in Hogwarts they had seen so far. Unlike the other places that were well lit and decorated with beautifully painted and friendly portraits the potions corridor was dark and it looked older than the other rooms and halls.

"Hey!" Paige protested, defending her name.

"I didn't mean _all _Snapes were dreaded..." Austin started.

"Thank you."

"Your brother can be okay sometimes." he finished, snorting.

"You-" Paige growled slightly.

"Professor Snape is the potions professor as you may know. He's not exactly...very friendly when it comes to houses besides Slytherin." Hermione explained to the three on the other side of the mirror, ignoring her two bickering comrades. Hermione seemed to b the most mature of the three so Harry could see how she made prefect. She gave him the strangest vibe that he usually only got from his mother.

"Especially Gryffindors," Paige added on.

"Especially Doc here." Hermione said.

"Dominick too for some reason..."

"That's a nice way of putting it." Austin added in a sarcastic tone. Harry could tell from Austin's letters that he along with every other Gryffindor wasn't too fond of Snape. His Dad usually told him of funny and humiliating tales on Snape's part) about he and Snape's relationship in his Hogwarts days.

"Daddy's just...a bit scarred from his childhood...but it's been about twenty or so years, you'd think he grow out of it." Paige said quietly, as if Snape was just around the corner waiting for someone to displease.

"_Daddy_? That guy Dad talks about? The same slime ball in the yearbooks?!" Ziggy exclaimed on the edge of breaking down in a fit of giggles.

"See? Someone else besides m wants to know how someone like _you _shares _his _genes..." Austin said triumphantly as they trekked down the hall.

"At least she looks nothing like him..." Harry muttered with a grin on his face though it went unseen by Austin and Paige who were walking with the mirror facing the hall and away from them. Hermione however, who was leading turned to him and gave a slight grin.

"What was that I heard Mr. Potter?" she questioned in a mock stern voice. At least Harry hoped it was only mock stern.

"He said were all glad that Paige here look's nothing like a donkey's ass," Austin chuckled lightly to himself. "The _ass _of an _ass_...That's a keeper."

"Paige looks kind of like _you _Rose." Ziggy pointed out. Harry silently agreed with him as he also noticed the shared features of his sister and their new friend. He kind of hoped it was just a strange coincidence because he couldn't possibly _bear _if he happened to be related to Snape as well though he highly doubted it. Paige, like Rose was beautiful in a subtle, soft way, both with basically the same thick curly raven hair and odd hazel-blue eyes, _not _the greasy, lank hair and oversized nose of Severus Snape he had seen in his parent's old yearbook. 

"I've noticed." Austin replied in a slightly flat tone. "She looks like her before she turned into a-"

"Don't start Austin." Hermione warned with a tone of finality. 

"It's the Snape trait. They start out normal like and then they began to change into complete..._blahs..."_ Austin continued unabashed, sticking out his tongue in disgust. "You're lucky you got away with your _mother's _looks. Or else there would be no hope for the Snapes-"

"Oh, come now Black, we're all not _that _bad..." said a smoothes voice from behind them.

 The group whipped around quickly as Paige lowered the mirror so it would be partly out of the speaker's view. Partly, but not fully. Harry could still see part of the speaker's body along with a comrade or two. He was a boy about his own age, he thought. His hair was tied back in a longish black ponytail that swayed behind his back even though he wasn't moving a muscle at the time. Harry thought he looked a bit like Paige except for his slightly larger, pointer nose and his deep charcoal eyes which almost matched his hair. At his side stood a slightly shorter, more sinister looking boy. Harry could tell from the start he didn't like the way he was sneering loathsomely at his newly found friends. Even though it was pretty dark the boy's slicked back platinum blonde hair glinted in the moonlight that seeped in from a tiny window near the ceiling. His eyes seemed to have very little to no color at all for a moment before Harry realized they were just blazing silver upon closer inspection. Two chunkier boys brought up the rear. They also held sinister sneers directed mainly at Hermione and Austin though the lead boy just glared lightly at Austin, not really showing any emotion. They were all wearing Green and Silver uniforms, Slytherin colors and according to everyone Harry knew who went to Hogwarts, Slytherin wasn't good news.

"Well if it isn't the blood traitor and the mudblood!" the blonde kid said. Harry noted how he seemed to disregard Paige's presence. Paige shifted nervously under their gazes and seems to sink a little more behind Austin who stood protectively in front of her and Hermione. Harry didn't understand what he was talking about. Phrases like Mudblood and Blood traitor never came up while he was living on the island but he guessed it was some sort of insult by the way Austin seethed.

"Well if it isn't the Future Death Eaters of Tomorrow! What do you want, is this the location of your next big boy meeting or are you just looking for a tattoo pawlor to give you cute little snakeys for your awm?" Austin mocked in a babyish voice. Malfoy seemed to let out a strange growling noise before attempting to draw a wand on Austin. 

"Blood traitor, how **_dare _**you mock the mark of the Dark Lord?!" he screeched out in an outrage. At the mention of the Dark Lord Rose let out a strange squeal that seemed to bring attention to the mirror Paige clutched tightly.

"Dark Lord my ass. There's no title for a pathetic shell of a wizard who can't deal with muggles like a sane-" Austin started to say before one of the chunky boys ran up to him and gripped him by his collar. He lifted him slightly to the ball of his feet where Austin teetered trying to keep his balance while keeping his dignity.

"Don't ever mock the Dark Lord's name _Black._" Malfoy whispered barely above a breath in Austin's direction. Though he didn't seem to be looking at Austin. His eyes glared beyond Austin and down directly to the object Paige held clamped in her hands. Harry gasped slightly as their eyes met, his warm emerald green ones and the boy's cold steel gray ones. The boy seemed to gasp to after a while, but soon the surprised expression on his face morphed into a twisted, slightly triumphant smirk. 

"Leave him alone Goyle!" Hermione spoke up as she noticed Goyle clamping his beefy hand around Austin's neck.

"Oh ho, look who it is the Mudblood come to the rescue." the other thick boy said from the back.

"What's wrong mud_slut_? Angry cause we're playing with your buddy, but not you? Oh we've got plan for you..." Malfoy said, still not removing his eyes from Harry's.

"Leave her alone! Please?" Paige said speaking for the first time since the group arrived. Her eyes pleaded silently with the lead boy's. He just rolled his eyes skywards and turned to the blond boy.

"Malfoy," he said sharply, dragging the boy's eyes away from Harry for the first time.

"But Snape-" Malfoy started helplessly.

A door behind the creaked open slightly, as if it hadn't been oiled in years. A light came flooding into the hallway as a woman stepped out of the room followed closely by a man draped in dark robes Harry recognized right away. Though he was about twenty years older than the yearbook pictures Harry was familiar with he would have recognized that greasy hair and humongous nose _anywhere_. The woman looked eerily familiar to Harry in an odd way. It was if he had seen her somewhere before and her eyes, the lightest of hazel, seem to strike a memory.

The woman stopped suddenly, causing the man, Snape, to crash into her back. She took in the scene in front of her and focused her stern glare to the lead boy of the Slytherin group. 

"What is this? Are you kids having a rumble or something?" she questioned in a half joking voice though her eyes were still fixed sternly upon the leader. 

"Is it not past curphew?" Snape muttered through a clenched jaw, narrowing his eyes at the Gryffindor especially.

The female professor began to walk towards the students.

"Okay, Okay break it up. Gregory, let go of Austin this instant, Draco did I here you call Miss Granger a foul name?" she questioned looking at Malfoy sharply. Malfoy glared down at his feet and sneered angrily as he mumbled a response.

Ziggy and Rose let out short giggles at Malfoy's childish behavior which proved to be a mistake as Snape, the adult one's eyes zipped straight down to the mirror which stay half hidden behind Paige's side. His eyes bugged out momentarily as he recognized the face that was staring back at him.

"Spencer, please don't bother your sister and her little friends like this, you'll just get into trouble-" the female professor continued on.

"Paige! What is that in your hand?" Snape demanded pointing towards Paige. Paige gasped in a shocked manner and hid the mirror behind her back as she began to shake her head profusely.

"Nothing! It's nothing Sir!" Paige exclaimed.

  
"Professor, I saw! It's some kind of window to the outside world! That's one of the boys Father's told me about!-" Malfoy shouted regaining his voice. Snape just gasped in response as if he was in a mix a terror and alarm.

Malfoy saw the opportunity and sprinted for Paige. In a blink of the eye Harry saw the mirror being ripped out of Paige's hand by Malfoy and carried down the hall as he raced off. The two thick guys took off after him.

"Malfoy, stop!" he heard Spencer cry after him.

"He will inform his father!"

"Oh no!" he heard Austin say in a distance.

Harry didn't bother to listen for the rest. Rose snatched the mirror out of his hands and threw it across the bed as if it had burned her. The mirror went blank within a few moments but nobody dared to move towards it. Harry's heart was racing as if he had just run a mile and he couldn't calm down. The Slytherin, Malfoy, the one from his dreams, had recognized him.

"What are you three doing up here?" Lily Potter's voice demanded as she along with her husband barged into the bedroom resulting in the shriek of three of her children. They all turned to her alarmed. 

"What the-" he stopped as he got a glance at the mirror, an oh too familiar one at that, that lay on Harry's bed. It didn't take too long for him to put two and two together. 

"Oh no!" Lily exclaimed as she caught sight of the mirror too.

"Harry, listen too me. You have to tell me. Who-did-you-talk-to? Did anyone see you?!" James demanded almost hysterically as he took Harry by his shoulders and began to shake him.

"Dad, we were at Hogwarts-we met some of Austin's friends-Slytherin came up-Snape too!" Ziggy exclaimed in an alarmed fashion. James released Harry immediately and went to Ziggy.

"Slytherins?! Ethan, did _anybody _notice you? This is very impor-"

"Dad!!!" Rose suddenly shouted, motioning frantically at the mirror. 

"What-?" James started to draw his wand. He turned to the mirror and what he saw made his wand go slack in his grip. The mirror was illuminating some florescent green light as it levitated slowly off the bed. It paused and seems to glow brighter as it hovered directly across from James's nose about a foot away.

"Oh my..." 

Suddenly in mirror shattered into little clouds of green puffs of smoke. This was no ordinary smoke though. It immediately shifted into little shapes in the air First Harry recognized what looked to be a face, a very...snakelike face that was smirking triumphantly but as soon as Harry saw it morphed into a skull with a long tube coming out of its mouth. Upon closer inspection, Harry recognized it to be-

"A snake." James whispered slightly. Harry wasn't even sure if he saw his father breathing he seemed so still.

"The dark mark." said a voice from the doorway, Frank Longbottom. He wore a sullen, serious expression on his face, very different from the joyful expression Harry was used to seeing.

"Children...get your things, we have to go." Frank commanded quietly as he headed downstairs, probably to warn his wife and children about the dark mark.

"Go? Go where?" Ziggy questioned a bit fearfully.

"Away, it's not safe here anymore!" Lily exclaimed, throwing three backpacks down from the children's closet. She rushed around the room and handed each of the children their discarded wands. "Always carry your wand on you." she instructed briskly. She had a terrified look clouding her usually brilliant green eyes, which worried Harry, along with Rose and Ziggy, immensely. All three of them got up and began to stuff some belongings in their backpacks.

"The secret is out! We must leave here at once! Don't just sit there, get your things! We'll contact Dumbledore once we reach our destination! Hurry!"

"Where _is _our destination?!" Harry shouted a bit scared and confused.

"Potter Mansion, headquarters. Hurry now; it's only a matter of time before-"

James was interrupted by a large crash from downstairs...

_"I've been waiting to play with the kiddies for years!!" _A cold, cackling voiced cried out.

_"Hide and seek is over and done with!" female voice shouted out._

"Damn, news travels fast on the dark network!" Ziggy noted as he froze.

"Hold onto me." James whispered sharply. 

The children and Lily complied quickly and each took hold of James's cloak securely. Within a second there was a loud _crack_ and nothing remained in the bedroom except for a cloud of dust.

**AN-Whoo! Finished with this chapter! Lemme know what you guys think!**__


	4. Welcome to Potter Mansion

**Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter, I never said I did (officer).**

**AN- I hope I managed to cover probably all of you guy's questions. Except the parsletongue one. I dunno where you guys got the idea (point it out for me, kay?) but it was probably a slip-up...**

For a brief moment all Harry could spy through his half slit eyes were swirling colors darting around in every direction. Suddenly, feeling a tad bit nauseas, he felt it was best to keep his eyes shut. Even lacking vision, Harry could feel himself being whisked about violently, an unpleasant sensation he had only felt once, during his first and only trip to Diagon Alley to purchase a wand by the floo network, and that one time had been enough for him. Though it felt as if they had been spinning for minutes to Harry, who wasn't at all accustomed to such modes of transportation, in reality only a moment had passed. Abruptly, the group came to a complete halt with a thunderous _crack_. Harry was more than relieved to feel solid, _steady, _ground beneath his bare feet as he felt a body, most likely Ziggy's, collapse to his side. Harry surveyed their surroundings wearily. They we're in a vast, dim room, a parlor. Their we're portraits all around, cluttering the walls in a fashionable manner though, some portraits looking at the new arrivals shiftily through he up kept canvases that looked like they had survived probably hundreds of years, other being more recent. Most of the room that was lit by the flickering embers of the dying fire radiating from the fire place was decorated in a dark, wine colored fabrics and furniture, often with little trims of gold that balanced the room in Harry's opinion. 

"Urgh...Are we dead _yet_?" Harry heard his brother's muffled voice sound from the carpet. He rolled on his side and sprawled completely out on the firm ground, hand brushing over the ground in search of his askew glasses.

"_Nobody's _dead." Lily confirmed in the tiniest of whispers, which Harry found to be odd, as his parents we're supposed to take them to a _safe_ place. 

"Then where exactly are the Longbottoms and-and- Milo?" Rose questioned in a short pant, the way she spoke when she was either nervous or having some class of mental fit, and Harry didn't doubt she was suffering from both at the moment...

"They'll take care of it, I'm sure." James soothed, trying to prevent his own voice from quivering with fear.

"You make it sound as if-as if- it were simply some- _lobsters _or what not that happened to stroll on shore hoping to-share a bite to eat or something!" Harry exclaimed, highly outraged. He had regained his bearings and was boring his now forest green eyes into James, who refused to meet his eye, and Lily who looked straight into Harry's eyes, with an equal amount of emotion flaring up in her own. "It's _Voldemort! _You know? The same guy who supposedly went on some killing spree! The same guy who yearns day and night for a couple of kids' blood so he can have his pureblood world domination once and for all! The same guy who damned us all to cower like-a-a bunch of curs_-"_

"They are trained aurors! They know how to get themselves out of a bind-!" Lily shouted in response, stepping closer, barely towering over Harry, who was nearing her height rapidly.

"A _bind?! _They've been off the job and on the backsides for_ fifteen _years, woman! The only_ bind _they can get out of-" Harry was cut off by a hand, most likely his mother's though he couldn't really tell due to the red mist of anger shrouding his eyesight, collided with the side of his face. 

_Slap! _The sharp sound echoed throughout the room, even shutting up the portraits who had been muttering excitedly up until this point. Harry clutched his inflamed cheek which he was sure was bloodshot at this point, and gazed up at his father, who still stood with his hand drew back in mid air.

"...Don't start, Harry. Just..._don't_." James sighed out exasperatedly as he shook his head woefully which just rose more sparks of anger from Harry. 

'_How dare he?  Acting so-so weak at a time like this! He's supposed to be a-a-' _Harry's thoughts fumed bitterly. Suddenly, some gave a dry sob from his side, interrupting his thoughts. Harry turned to see Rose sniffling silently, furiously brushing stray tears off her completely flushed face.

"...Where will they go, Dad? How are they to know where _we_ are?" Ziggy questioned helplessly, interpreting his sisters sobs into words we could all comprehend.

"All members of the order know to report to here in case of an emergency." Lily stated matter-of-factly, placing a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder.

"The...order? Order of _what?" _Harry started to say before he was interrupted by a pair of strong, manly arms encircling his midsection tightly, startling him. He gave a sharp intake of air as he swiveled around to face the figure that had emerged from the shadows so suddenly. Harry tried to let out a scream, but failed as his nervousness and fear seem to block any air that might even think of going down his throat, though he noticed his mother, Rose and even Ziggy who still remained sprawled out on the floor, didn't have this problem. Hm...Maybe this was because they didn't have someone clamping at their stomachs, Harry thought.

"Who the-" He began as he caught sight of the figure, the man, that had assaulted him. It appeared to be a man, about sixty or seventy years of age, dressed in well kept robes that matched his furnished room. Harry couldn't help but notice the man's salt-and-peppered hair which stuck out in all angles that would even make Harry's hair stand on decent ground. The man had Harry's head tucked firmly under his chin so he couldn't catch a glance at his other facial features though he heard his somewhat raspy though relief drenched voice whisper out content things in his hair. 

"Oh Jimmy Boy, you've finally returned home! I thought- I mean _we _thought you'd be _dead_ by this time-perish the thought of course-, killed off by Voldemort or some class of blithering sea monster!-" he went on serenely as he stroked Harry's head fondly.

"...You thought _what_?" Lily asked in a scandalized voice from a good space away from them.

"Wow Dad, it's really nice to know what my family thinks of my potential_-" _James muttered in a dark tone.

"Shush now, Jimbo, you're home now!"

"..._Jimbo_?" Rose and Ziggy muttered in unison, twin grins spreading across their faces despite their situation.

"Oh Jimbo! I forgot about that one..." Lily sighed thoughtfully to herself. "What else was there? Jamie, Jamski, Jay-Bird, _Midge-"_

"That's enough!" James tried to silence her as his cheeks inflamed with color.

"-Little Pee Wee-Quite a funny story behind that one, if I recall correctly," Lily continued on.

"...Oh your room is exactly the way you left it before you got out on your own with Lillian-where _is _that gal anyway-that was another way we'd predicted your death, you finally driving her mad and her tossing you the window like yesterday's news-" The man, James's _father_, continued on, not taking time to notice the presence of the other four people as he playfully rubbed the top of a struggling Harry's head.

"If any of you cared to notice, I'm being assaulted by this _very_ odd man, so if you catch the time to-you know-rescue me it would be greatly appreciat-!" 

"My word, Lily, James, is it really_ you_?" A frail voice breathed out in a barely audible tone. The voice originated from an elderly woman who was approaching the group tentively, bewilderment etched notably on her slightly worn face. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. The woman continued to corner them, unconsciously running her feeble hand through her wispy silvery-brown hair, a habit Harry's father had picked up.

"...Mum?" James questioned, stepping into the dim light of the fireplace to get a better view, causing the senior Mr. Potter pause from harassing Harry and stare up at him in a questioning manner.

"And who are you, stranger?" He asked light heartedly, noticing the other people for the first time. "Er, hello children...seeing as you've found your way into my mansion, would you like some sweets?" He questioned simply, his warm blue eyes radiating his joyfulness. 

"...See Ziggy, you're not adopted. It runs in the family." Rose whispered logically to her brother.

"Mum! It's me, your_ talented _son, finally home again!" James exclaimed, throwing up his arms to the approaching woman, who had tears brimming in the corners of her hazel eyes. She rushed past James who still stood frozen with his arms outstretched, to Lily, who was quite surprised at the force of the hug the elderly lady had on her.

"Oh-Oh my daughter-in-law, my _only _daughter-in-law...! All these long years...-was it horrible? My grandchildren! Where are my grandchildren...?" she sobbed into Lily's shoulder, as James sent Lily a scathing look that made her giggle aloud.

"Oh, I've missed you too, Leanne-" Lily started as she returned the hug.

"For the love of Merlin, how many times have I said to call me _Mum? _Why, you're the closest thing to a daughter I have since-since-_she_ ran off with that-that-oh Lily!"

"Why? Why do I even bother sometimes?" James questioned no one in particular

"Should I prepare some tea as well?  Come James, there is so much to catch up on!" the oldest Mr. Potter continued on.

"...Yup, no way I'm adopted." Ziggy muttered to himself as he got to his feet.

"_Oh_ Christopher, put on your spectacles!" Leanne Potter said as she thrust a golden rimmed pair of glasses into the older man's hand, which he immediately put on.

"Oh James I-_James_! You've gone and changed your eye color? This some kind of fad? Honestly-" Christopher said as he examined "James" closer, taking in his vivid green eyes.

"I'm _not _my Dad, my Dad is my...Dad...er, James." Harry pointed out just as he felt an arm tighten around his neck, pulling him in closer with Rose and Ziggy, who were also being near strangled by the old woman, their grandmother, Harry noted to himself.

"Ooh...my grandchildren...and I suppose you've all been toilet trained properly-"

"Well I'm still working out the bugs of the whole process-" Ziggy replied jokingly at the odd question.

"Oh, _finally_! Grandchildren who don't rely on you to wipe their bums every waking hour-no more snotty noses-"

Rose swiped a handkerchief roughly under Ziggy's nose.

"-Or the constant demanding of tooth decaying sweets, practically torturing the poor house elves-" she continued.

"You know, you've just described Jeremy." Both James and Christopher said wistfully in unison, making Christopher look to his oldest son for the first time since he arrived there.

"James! How long've you been here?"

"...Dad!-"

"Where is that darling Lillian? Such a sweetheart she was, taking pity over your pining ways and marrying you and all..."

"Oh yes Father, I know how much you and Mum must've missed me..." James muttered to himself, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh there you are, Lillian!" Christopher continued, going towards Lily with outstretched arms.

"Hello Daddy Warbucks." Lily said cheerfully.

"...I thought his name was Christopher?" Rose whimpered to their Grandmother.

"Chris has got a...obsession-I should say-with that muggle musical-what's it called? Alphie? Arlene? Totally tasteless drivel in my opinion, chattering ragamuffins frolicking around the screen, screeching out tunes that are bound to get stuck in your head for days and days-not my type of show at all-now that _Grease _however-" Grandma Potter started.

"Mum, Dad, not meaning to break up this little love fest but something serious has happened-" James said sternly.

"James, what is it?" Leanne's questioned a bit startled.

"Something serious? Why Sirius hasn't been over for at least...three whole days-a new record I might add! We had tea and those lovely rock cakes Millie or Vanilli-I honestly can't tell those house elves apart-prepared for us...Why, I should start some up right now for the children-do you enjoy rock cakes?"

"I'll eat anything that doesn't talk to me-" Ziggy stated.

"Ha! James's boy, if I ever saw one-well, I haven't unless you count baby Harry, and back then I was convinced he was a female for some reason..." Christopher continued on as he led the group down the vast corridors and to the dining room...

After the final mug of tea was finished, and the many varieties of crumpets, biscuits and cakes had all been reduced to bits and crumbs, there was still no word from the Longbottoms and the adults, or rather James and Lily (the grandparents were having oh too much fun getting to know their other set of grandchildren) felt it was time that the kids settle into bed while they contacted Dumbledore. Though the children protested and whined, Lily made sure they eventually found there way upstairs where Leanne showed them to their respective rooms, located in the west wing of the house. 

Harry, fresh from a near-scalding shower, sank into one of the plush leather chairs that were arranged around the room, a sitting room, as his Grandmother had introduced it as and then started laughing when Ziggy merely asked one of the portraits where the standing and laying room we're located just in case his bum started to get worn out. Unlike the bedroom he was staying in, his father's old one, this room had a fireplace. Along the mantle were different portraits, aligned and waving. Some appeared to be hand drawn, Harry spotted, but others, like the main family portrait appeared to be taken by a camera. Harry found the family picture very interesting in the least. His father never really discussed his family so Harry naturally assumed he had been the only child. The picture proved him wrong as there were indeed two other children seated on either side of the grinning young version of James, a girl who looked to be a younger than James and a boy who looked younger than _both_. The young boy, about eleven or so in the picture, had tame dark brown locks that fell neatly to his shoulders, in deep contrast to the other two males in the picture, whose hair looked as if they might take an eye out. The merriment in his gleaming hazel eyes matched James almost identically except for the tint of blue grazing them, making them appear more like the girl's. The girl about fourteen, nearly as old as James, unlike everyone else in the picture, wore a serious, almost melancholy expression on her rather beautiful face which was framed in a pleasant way by her dark curls that fell in neat ringlets down her back. She continued to gaze outward sadly, despite the merriment and joy radiating off of picture-James who had his arm draped around her shoulder, and kept looking at her fondly. Harry just couldn't shake the feeling of having seen the girl before.

"That's your Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Natalie, Harry," Lily explained, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, giving Harry quite a shock.

"Where did you-?" Harry started to say before he snapped his mouth shut, remembering he wasn't speaking to his parents for a reason he had forgotten in his shower, but he felt it was a really good one as a scowl had been stuck on his face since the last time he talked to them. Lily however took his silence as a sign to continue on. She strode over to Harry's armchair and seated herself upon the broad armrest and wrapped her arm around her oldest son.

"Your Uncle was the youngest, quite odd and mischievous. Actually, a bit like your father, so you can imagine how he rubbed James the wrong way..." Lily recollected with a small smirk appearing on her face. "Now your Aunt Natalie she was one year younger than James," she went on, "_She_ was the apple of _everybody's _eye, being as sweet and pleasant as she was, not to mention she was everyone's 'little girl'. Your Grandparent's, Jeremy, _Sirius, _everyone just couldn't get enough of her, but none more than your father. _He _spoiled her rotten, nearly worshipping the ground she pranced on at Hogwarts,-"

"Like how Harry treats Rosie." Ziggy pointed out as he emerged around the corner into the room, an ancient copy of _Flash Gordon _in tow. 

"Shut _up_, before I stop speaking to you as well." Harry said as Ziggy plopped down into the neighboring chair, taking his time to rest his feet on the delicate glass coffee table before them.

"You are speaking to Mum."

"No, she's speaking to _me_. Isn't that right Mum?" Harry pointed out stubbornly.

"...You just said something to her."

"-You should've seen your father back then, hexing and cursing anyone that made her cross, not to mention her _-ahem-_ male company..."  

"_Ahhh..._a scarlet woman we have on our hands here..." Ziggy said stroking his nonexistent beard wisely.

"What've I told you about reading my novels, Ethan?" Lily asked slyly, eyeing her son suspiciously as his eyes shifted around nervously and his skin changed to a tone that clashed horribly with his flaming red hair.

"What happened Mum? I mean-if Dad adored her so much, why are we just hearing about her when we've heard about Sirius and all them loads of times?" Harry asked, forgetting his vow of silence.

Lily seemed a bit flustered for a fleeting moment, then a tad bit forlorn, finally an unreadable expression settled on her face as she turned back to her sons and responded a bit wearily,

"Well-she and-Um,-well, one-at least one who was a close-minded Gryffindor for a large part of their life, would say Natalie had very odd taste in-er, men. Yes, that's it. Being as bright as she was, she didn't always make the correct decisions either, and back then, wrong decisions could cost you your _life. _Which is exactly what we thought was bound to happen, so naturally, everybody fell out with her.  I-I remember...I remember her running away to my house-this was before your father and I we're married- and just going on about how nobody understood her. And finally one day, she was caught in a rather-er, compromising position when James spotted her taking off her robe and spotted something...something very unwelcome in a family of er, -how should I put this?- revolters against Lord Voldemort. The whole family went ballistic and it finally ended when she was wiped _clean_ from the family tree." Lily finished hastily, followed by a tense silence.

"...She was wiped from the _family tree_?" Ziggy asked half-amazed with a hint of bemusement in his voice.

"Yes, in fact, I think _Sirius _took her spot..."

"But-but- where did she go? She just got up and left?" Harry questioned.

"Well...it was said that she moved in with her-er, new _husband_ after they...eloped and attempted to set fire to Potter Mansion." 

"Wow...they went out in style, eh?" Ziggy remarked snickering.

"Well, is she-are they still- you know-_ alive_?" Harry asked not satisfied with the end to the tale.

"Actually," Lily started thoughtfully, "I hear that the 'evil' husband actually works for the good side now, you know, for Dumbledore-"

"Then she's back in the family?" Harry inquired.

"Well...it doesn't work like that when you're disowned by your family. _All _members of the family must agree to take her back, and believe me, though your Granddad and I'm almost positive Jeremy would love to except her back and continue to dote on her as if nothing unfavorable had occurred, your Grandma and especially your father, still appear to be _very_ much heartbroken...it's the pride, I tell you. An affliction to the family in my opinion..."

Harry looked down and focused intently on the fine stitching of the apparently expensive carpet at his feet. He could just imagine how heartbroken _he _would feel if Rose were to do something 'unspeakable', as his Mother had put it. He looked over to Ziggy and could tell he was thinking the same as he stared blankly into the tattered remains of his comic, eyes unblinking.

_Crash...Crash...Crash!!!!_

_"Ow...Alvin, you landed on my stomach!" _Came an unpleased groan from the bottom of the staircase, probably in the parlor, making Harry gasp aloud and spring up from his seat, nearly knocking Lily off the armrest.

"Neville?" Harry mouthed as more voices followed.

_"Greetings Leanne, Christopher-" _an older man, a voice Harry couldn't recognize, said.

_"Where's mah Muuummmmm?!?!" _A tiny voice sobbed out, nearly choking on his words.

_"Now-calm-stop that-I- OWWW! He bit me!" _Mr. Longbottom shouted as he evidently struggled with something, most likely Milo, who was letting out a full bawl now.

Harry, followed by Ziggy, dashed to the door leading to the stairs but was cut off by Lily who beat them there. 

"You boys-stay up here for a while. We'll call you when you can come down, 'kay?" she panted out as she reached for the door handle. 

"What-?"

"No fair!" Harry protested.

"Boys, please, important business-"

"That we kiddies are _bound _not to understand!" Harry exclaimed heatedly, suddenly remembering why he was cross with his mother to begin with.

"Harry, I wasn't about to say-"

"It's not enough that I'm being hunted by this guy, but I've got to be in the dark about it because to you I'm just a stupid-"

_"Mmmmuuuuuuuummmmmmmmyyyyyyyy!!!!!!" _interrupted Harry, followed by the sound of little pattering of a small person toddling up the stairs.

"-Harry, I don't have time to argue." Lily concluded, stepping out of the room, immediately colliding with a breathless toddler who didn't waste any time attaching himself to Lily's leg, making it difficult to move about.

"I want-my-my-oh _Mummy_!" Milo wailed into the hem of her robes, teetering back and forth slightly on his toes. Rose appeared at the top of the stairs out of breath. Apparently, she had been chasing Milo, making sure he didn't run into a wall, like he _usually _did when he was hysterical, eating, or pretending to be Ziggy.

"Hush Darling, I'm here...No need to be scared, no bad man's gonna get you..." Lily went on in a soothing voice.

"I wah my _-hic- my Binky!" _

"...Binky?"

"Mrs. Longbottom said he'd been saying that ever since they got to Dumbledore's office..." Rose explained.

"Harry, take him. Calm your brother down before he passes out from exhaustion..." Lily said thrusting Milo into Harry's arm hastily; she could hear Frank chatting to James with Dumbledore downstairs. 

"But Mu-"

"No _buts" _she hissed as she shuffled down the stairs, not bothering to look back at them as she nearly collided with Neville and Alvin who were staggering up the stairs, looking very shaken indeed. 

"Nev, Vinny!" Harry exclaimed joyfully, his voice flooded with relief as he, nearly knocked out the way by Ziggy, dashed to meet there friends in the middle of the corridor.

Neville looked fairly worn but he managed to crack a faint smile at them.

"...So, what happened?" Ziggy whispered out cautiously like someone was likely to hear.

"...Well...we packed some clothes, and then we went to Dumbledore's office, he's got a Phoenix-" Alvin started to say after pondering for a moment.

"-In _Hogwarts."_

"I mean what happened with-_him_." Ziggy muttered, smacking Alvin on the head lightly as they walked back to the sitting room.

"Oh-_that_! It was horrible! Terrifying! Curses and Hexes everywhere! And then these ninjas-" Alvin went on enthusiastically.

"_Ninjas?" _ Neville asked skeptically, eyeing his brother warily. "He means he spent the whole time in the house, as it was still kind of hidden by the fidelius charm though it was fading _fast _according to Dumbledore..._I_ however," Neville stated proudly, patting himself on the chest fondly, "-disarmed a full grown, _dangerous_, death-ermajigg." 

"Ha. Expelliarmus. Big deal." Alvin muttered rolling his eyes.

"What do you suppose their talking about down there?" Rose questioned after a while.

"Tea and crumpets, genius. What do you _think_?" Ziggy said rather rudely.

"Actually," Neville began, "I believe your Grandfather did mention something of the sort..."

"-We gotta listen in!" Harry announced, pounding his fist against his open palm, determined.

"...Ah no, we don't." Rose stated, "We _shouldn't_."

"Oh where's your sense of adventure?" Ziggy asked, slugging her lightly in the shoulder, making her scowl.

"Where's your sense, period? It's been missing for over fourteen years now!"

"Rose is right." Alvin stated firmly to the others.

"To you, she's _always _right...get over it, she's older then you; you haven't got a chance." Neville muttered as he rose from his chair, followed closely by Harry and Ziggy, leaving Rose and a furiously blushing Alvin behind.

"To the stairs!" Ziggy announced like a general as they filed out the door silently.

"..."

"..."

"...I do _not _always agree with you...Their stupid. Who would wanna listen to them _anyway_?" Alvin muttered, continuing to pout.

"...Maybe we should go-"

"Good idea." Alvin said hurrying out of his seat.

Meanwhile, a severely balding and pot-bellied man struggled to keep his bar stool from wriggling so much, or the floor, he couldn't tell which. He teetered on the edge of his seat right in front of the barkeep of the Hog's Head, as he did every Friday, pounding his porky fist to the table, demanding a pint to 'soothe his afflictions caused by the muggle loving world', as he so gingerly put it.

_"_One, two_,-hic- _four, three, how does that_-hic- _ruddy song go?_ -hic- _Oh yeah!_ Bye bye Miss American_-hic-_Pie-_ooh I love pie! _Drove the er, _-hic- _Chevy to the Levy_-what the hell-hic-is a_-hic-_Lev-lev -belch- Oh, that's the right stuff..." He muttered into his tattered robe sleeve as he struggled not to loose his comrade's pocketful of sickles worth of drinks. 

"Erm, Pete, I suppose you've had enou-" Remus Lupin, Peter's good friend in a way, started to say before Peter threw his head back in a daze and toppled off of the barstool as the surly barkeep just tutted.

"Don't even start! I am _-hic- _so sick of that line!" Peter gurgled from a crumpled heap on the floor. "_Urgh...-hic- _it's making mah head hurt _-hic- _I've heard it so much..."

"No, you're just balancing all your weight on your head at the moment; fall on your fat arse, which should make you feel better." Remus explained logically, swishing around his Sherry absentmindedly. It was late and he found it particularly sad that he had nowhere better to be than stumbling around in the Hog's Head with a drunk that was only keen on spending his money. But it was either that or moping around his dilapidated shack, fretting over the state of his nephew Dominick (how he had gained custody of the kid of the brother who loathed him, he'd never know), who was probably more depressed than Remus was. Plus, Remus had the lingering feeling that something had gone terribly wrong in elsewhere...

'Trouble that _won't_ involve me babysitting Rummy, here...' Remus concluded, rising from his stool. 

"Where you off to? Hey, you can't just leave this thing-" the barkeep motioned roughly at Peter who was busy taking Remus's advice and was teetering back and forth, attempting to shift his weight from his head to his backside. "-Take him away. I've got enough problems on my hands..."

Remus glanced around the room counting the one or two barflies that still lingered around the seedy pub.

"Only about two, so this one shouldn't be much trouble...as long as you keep him 'hydrated'." Remus replied, spinning around on his heel, heading towards the door.

"Trouble? Trouble_-hic-_ happens to be my -middle- name! Yup, Peter Trouble Petti-hic-grew...Mumsi must've been drunk-_hic-_ when she thought of that one..."

That and the barkeep muttering curses was the last thing Remus stepped outside, escaping the stale scent of puke and smoke that occupied the bar and out onto the street, rich with the scents of dieing autumn and incense drifting from Madame Pudifoot's down the road. A lot less nauseating, Remus noted thankfully as he gazed out onto the road, wondering where to go next as moping around his shack didn't sound any more tempting than babysitting Peter.

He began make his way down the path leisurely, taking in the familiar sights and smells of Hogsmeade that brought him back to his youth, the only truly happy time in his life in his opinion. Lolling around with his old chums...Peter, Sirius..._James, _all better known as Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, though Remus hadn't used the nicknames since way back over 15 years ago, when everything was...simple. No worries back then, kids like them barely knew who-or_ what_- Voldemort was. Now, with his friends in hiding, Sirius oddly detached, Remus was just awaiting the _true_ horrors of Voldemort to take place, upon Voldemort's return. The sworn return the Ministry of Magic had managed to downplay until it was as miniscule of a dilemma as the dispute over the (non)existence of nematodes, a creature often speculated about in _the Quibbler_.  The wizarding world, afraid to believe otherwise, had allowed themselves to live in a state of blissful ignorance and believe Voldemort had simply _evaporated _overnight due to the superior leading of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of magic, and only few knew better. Remus was one of those few. 

Without warning, a swift stepping figure rushed passed Remus, knocking his shoulder briskly in the process. The man was madly puffing away on a cigarette, to engrossed in his thoughts to give notice to the things obstructing his path. He appeared to be distracted, though livid as he rushed through his trail, his platinum blonde hair whipping behind him with as much urgency as the man himself. Remus stood in the street speechless at the stranger's rudeness, watching him dash into the Hog's Head. For a fleeting second Remus could've sworn who he'd just seen had a bit of likeliness to the one and only Lucius Malfoy.

Though it couldn't be him, Remus concluded as the stranger emerged from the bar hoarding an intoxicated fellow by the name of Peter Pettigrew.

"Now, what would _Malfoy _want with _Peter_?" Remus scoffed to himself aloud, continuing his trail through the village, ignoring what he had just witnessed as the idea of Peter being involved with the likes of Lucius Malfoy seemed _absolutely_ ludicrous to him.

"Pettigrew! Straighten up, Man!" Malfoy commanded through clenched teeth as he dragged the protesting drunkard into an alley. Of course, over ten years of living as the pet rat of a sadistic little imp (A.K.A. Young Draco) wasn't enough to train some sense into Peter's head, as he was still prone to irritate Lucius at every turn, drunk _or_ sober.

"Hey, hey, hey_-hic-_I gotta_- _I gotta ques_- _a question_-hic-_for yo-ou, Lucy_-" _Peter slurred as he once again made contact with the floor.

"Don't _ever _call me that!" Lucius growled bitterly.

"_Lucy in the sk-yyy-hic- with diaa-mooonnnddssss!" _Peter howled as Lucius knocked him over and proceeded to crush Peter's head in the gravel under the pressure of his boot. Naturally, Lucius _hated_ that song.

"Do you have a question, or shall I just snuff you and end the horrible wastefulness you call you life?"

"....Well, let's see...." Peter pondered to himself momentarily as Lucius drove his head further into the ground with his foot, "Oh, I rem_-hic-_ember!" Peter began to twitter like a foolish schoolgirl, "Do you know-"

"This better not be what I think it is."  

"Whaddyou mean?"

"That...insufferable_ joke_."

"Whazza_-hic-_joke? I'm serious! Serious as...Sirius Black...."

"Hurry it along Pettigrew." 

"It's_-hic-_pretty hard with you-_hic- _crushing my head..."

Lucius's other foot collided with Peter's stomach with a loud _thunk_.

"Ok! Do...you know...the_-hic-_ muffin man?" 

"...The muffin man?"

"The muffin man. Who lives on m-"

"You scum! This _is_ that intolerable-up, _up!_" Lucius ordered, hoisting Peter to his feet. 

"What's _your_ new business?" 

"Our Master," Lucius situated his wand under Peter's chin, making him jump back slightly," had located those brats, well at least one of them-"

"Ooh, well, _whoop-dee-doo_, what does it all _mean_ Lucy?"

"It _means _we are _-this- _close to our master goal."

"Oh what's stopping us this time? A _kitten_?"

A form of blue electricity arose in Lucius's wand and spread to Peter's head, giving him quite a shock and leaving him steaming....literally.

"_No!_ That old coot, Dumbledore!"

"_Riiighhhttt...."_ Peter muttered skeptically to himself, "Er, I mean right, sir!"

"Earlier we ambushed that island-that damn fide-fideliwhat'sit charm had finally began to wear after all these years- right in front of our noses this whole ti- _Pay attention!- _Dumbledore was there! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"...I think I left an unfinished pint on the counter back at the-" _ZAP! _"Sorry, sorry Sir."

"It means we have a _slight _hinder in our plan. He's probably off blabbing to the Ministry about now...We're to be on our toes..." Lucius finished, scowling off into the night, at nothing in particular, obviously bothered at the idea of prolonging the plan, yet again. But after fifteen years, a few months should seem like nothing.

"...Question?" Peter said meekly, waving his hand in front of Lucius's drawn face, "Why are you telling _me _this? Didn't_-hic-you say _I was_ useless?"_

Lucius faces Peter yet again, his tight face curling up into the remnants of a smirk.

"I said you we're useless as a _human _my little _Hogwarts monitor_. Didn't you keep Draco happy for all those years? Surely you'll be able to keep watch over Hogwarts for us..."

_"You're walking too close to me!" _Ziggy hissed sharply in what he was sure was Alvin's direction.__

_"I can't exactly back up a few feet, can I?" _He barked in response.

_"Hush!"_

_"Neville, I can see your feet!" _Rose warned as they approached the parlor door.

_"Crouch down!"_

_"Shush, they can hear!"_

_"Everyone shut up on the count of three."_ Harry instructed as he drew the invisibility cloak closer around them though it was already being stretched beyond its capacity_._

_"1...2..."_

_"Do you mean on three or after you say three?" _

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"Three!" _Harry hissed as the all shuffled their quietest along the wall of the living room downstairs.

They spotted Dumbledore, an elderly, though wise looking wizard, stroking his foot long beard over a mug of steaming tea, seated on a couch along with the Longbottoms and both sets of Potters. All five adults looked a bit foreboding about the news Dumbledore was about to share, the information of what went wrong, or at least _how_.

They all crept lightly, finally choosing to settle next to the fireplace, where they could have choice listening.

"I suppose we all know why we're here?" Dumbledore initiated conversation, glancing over the adults though Harry sworn he could've seen his eyes flicker to them hunched up in the corner for a fleeting second before refocusing on the older group.

"Well, I suppose this wasn't a friendly visit after all..." Christopher muttered to himself.

"The charm, the fidelius charm," Alice began to say warily, "how could it just...fade?"

"Very good question as I'm sure I performed it properly." Lily backed her up.

"I imagined you would know that a fidelius charm can only be enforced when a loyal secret keeper-" Dumbledore started before James interrupted him.

"Of _course _Harry was loyal! His _life _depended on it! Who could he tell?!"

Rose gasped slightly before being silenced by Neville's hand. No on had actually _informed_ Harry that he was a secret keeper...

"It's not so much as telling; it's the matter of simply _revealing_." Dumbledore explained.

"Meaning...?" Frank questioned, not catching the drift.

"Didn't Professor McGonagall always say those communication mirrors would be your downfall? How ironic!"

"Ah...D'oh..." James muttered.

"The point is, when Harry revealed to young Master Black of his whereabouts the spell was nearly diminished. It _would _have been if not for the extra precautions I put up..." Dumbledore said indifferently, absentmindedly inspecting his fingernails as if it were no big deal.

"Am I to understand that the little Malfoy, er, whatsitface, Donny...Darco...Dragon-" Leanne started to inquire.

"Draco."

"Yes, him. _He _informed the deatheaters of his Harry sighting?"

"Yes."

"How did-he-"

"How did he _recognize _Harry if he'd never seen-him-in-his-life?" Lily questioned clearly stumped.

"...How to explain in layman's terms? Well, Lillian, if _you_ we're a very bitter man whose life purpose was hindered by something, a child perhaps, wouldn't _you_ be _obsessed_ with destroying that thing?"

"I suppose." she agreed slowly.

"Then wouldn't you keep an eye out and any other _extra_ pair of _spare_ eyes on the lookout? And I suppose it didn't help that Lucius's nose was probably buried in an old Hogwarts yearbook, cursing James's picture, which I hear looks remarkably like Harry, every time he got a bit on the irritated side. Surely young Draco was bound to recognize that picture off the bat..." Dumbledore tried to explain to the group, yet again glancing over at the cluster of children in the corner, not even bothering to breathe in case it caused any unwanted attention.

"I always said Malfoy's had issues..." Frank mumbled grudgingly to himself mainly.

"What are we to do now? We have no safe zones and surely Voldemort is on to the whole Fidelius Charm plan by now..." James asked, running his hand through his hair out of frustration.

"I wouldn't try that plan again even if he was none the wiser." Dumbledore pointed out.

"What are you suggesting, Albus?" Leanne inquired, speaking for the puzzled group.

"Well..." Dumbledore twiddled his beard, "I have informed the Ministry of Magic, and even though they refuse to heed my warning, I'm sure they will get my point soon enough and straighten up and fly right...Though I'm sure Tom wouldn't dare act large enough to draw attention to himself and his motley crew," Just then Dumbledore grinned to himself, as if he knew something everyone else didn't, a feeling Harry couldn't seem to shake off in his presence.

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Dumbledore referring to Voldemort as if he were some schoolyard bad boy and the deatheaters his little gang! As if people's lives weren't at stake.

_"Who's Tom?" _

_"Didn't I say he was mad?" _

"In the mean time, I feel my Order shall reassemble, just to keep a watch over things...It shouldn't be long now..." Dumbledore drifted off.

"And what is to happen with the children? Are they bound to spend all their time hiding away like some-some-" Leanne stumbled.

"-Attic Mice?" Christopher offered, earning odd looks from everyone in the room.

"Attic mice?"

"They always scurry when you turn on the lights so I'm not sure they actually exist; that's the point." he explained.

"Why, Christopher, even as a student you always had your own logic thinking." Dumbledore remarked through a smile.

_"A student? How old is this guy?" _Alvin inquired before Rose placed a hand on his shoulder, immediately ceasing his chatter.

"The children," Dumbledore started, "I feel it best they be at the safest place in the wizarding world."

"...Gringotts?" James questioned, not understanding.

"Damn those crafty Goblins! I'll be damned if they get any of those kids-" Christopher started to get fired up in a James-like manner.

"No. I simply meant under my watchful eye at...Hogwarts. It's by time they started getting their _proper_ training with children their own age. Wouldn't you agree, children?" Dumbledore asked, turning to the corner they occupied, bringing all the attention to them.

_"Neville..."_

_"What?"_

_"I TOLD YOU YOUR STUPID FEET WERE SHOWING!" _

**AN-Whoo Hoo! I am Completed! Now, if its not too much to ask, press the little 'Go' button on the bottom and leave a review please, as I am tired of skipping out on my night showers to type these chapters to only end up with _two_ reviews...Now, time to shamelessly promote my _other_ fics (ain't I a stinker?) Yoohoo...if you we' rent motivated to review with this fic, go check out *pulls random fic out of drawing hat* (ooh, mah Favorite!) _Mixed Signals_! It is, how to put it, _une livre amusante très qui affiche mes manières étranges, _oh _Merde, _I need to study this language before I fail my quiz on Friday...**


	5. James The Evil House Elf

**Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I would make him a 23 year old hippy with a goatee, named Jack Mehoff. Aren't you glad I'm poor and have no access to a publishing company? **

**AN- *sighs* Take a deep breath folks. I'm gonna have to dig to the serious *boos*, _deep, *strikes a pose* dramatic *sniggers*, side of me (even though I buried it in heaps of whip cream and corn chips __ages ago)…digging…digging…_digging_…*smack* Aye! I think I hit something...Still can't do it…I gotta prep myself *someone throws a copy of _Flowers in the Attic_ at my head*…That did it. _**

_Silence was never an issue  nor a privilege, at the Potter Mansion and despite the mansion's extravagant and capacious size, it was virtually impossible to ever feel isolated or crave the presence of another being, and that was when there had been only five people under the extensive roof. _

_And even when there were tons, probably hundreds of people, couples, families, celebrating, and merrymaking within the dank walls of that grand mansion, sixteen-year-old Natalie Potter had never felt lonelier, or colder, as a matter of fact, even odder, was the fact she was currently in the presence of James Potter, her joyous brother who had once gazed upon her so fondly it could make her heart swell in the deadliest of times. Now however, James couldn't bare to look at her, so he remained frozen, cringing down towards his feet, the heat of immense hate overtaking him and causing stinging tears to swell in the creases of his cold eyes._

_The room, James' bedroom, seemed to adopt an eerily dull gray aurora, deeply in contrast to the usually warm vivid colors that seem to radiate off of James himself. A condensed silence filtered through the air, afflicting not just Natalie's ears, but deep within her heart as well, like nothing she had ever experienced before. She could finally take it no longer, she let out a meek, anguished cry and turned back to face James, making sure to shield her bare arm with a torn shred of her elegant dress sleeve. To her immense surprise, as well as her deep despair, he was silently weeping, allowing his tears to flow freely down his blanched face, landing onto the carpet with a seemingly thunderous effect._

_"…James…James, say something…please…" Natalie whimpered, her frail voice barely above a whisper. James' vulnerable frame winced against ever word, as if he were literally being scorched._

_"What…is there to say…?" James sputtered out hesitantly, jerkily swiping away his tears onto his well-groomed velvet dress robes Natalie herself had picked out for him, "What exactly _is _there to bloody say?!" He raged on between a clenched jaw in such a fierce manner it shook Natalie down to the core of her fragile body and she took a few unsteady steps backwards. _

_Upon hearing her brother use this harsh tone with her for the first time, it was a gross understatement to say that Natalie was shocked in the least. This wasn't the tone he used towards her, his dearest Natalie, this was his tone respectively reserved for villains, and 'evil' Slytherins who had wronged him…though, she doubted James saw much of a difference between those wicked things and her _now_. Natalie didn't manage to recoil far enough from James though, as he clutched desperately onto her shoulder, nearly ripping away the dainty spaghetti straps of her elegant gown._

_"James-no!" She whimpered helplessly, grimacing out of pain as James discounted her feeble please. _

_"How dare you bring that into this house? You-you-harlot! A blood traitor of the worst! Is that what it's been about? All this time?! You and-and _him?! _A Death Eater" _James roared ravenously causing Natalie's body to quake with an ailing mixture of guilt and utter terror. __

_"No! It wasn't always like that, James, please listen-I'm begging you-" Natalie attempted to plea with him once more, her tears flowing as fiercely and freely as James'. _

_"I will not hear it! I-I should've listened to Sirius…he warned me about you…and him…I didn't want to see it…didn't want to believe my own sister, my own flesh and blood would-could be…" moaned James, exasperatedly, not bothering to hold back his tears of rage and bitter hatred, though most of all, they were tears of remorse. _

_"James if you would just-" Natalie's wailing pleas were cut short by James, who silenced her, the entire room, and what seemed to be the entire house, when he drew back his hand, as if in slow motion._

_He struck her square in her pallid cheek at lightning speed, surprising her to say the least, causing her to stumble backward warily for a moment before crashing down onto the bed, striking the back of her head, hard onto a nearby bedpost. She sprawled out across James' bed, her once radiant chestnut curly locks steadily becoming soaked as her crimson blood gradually seeped from her wound. James, panting heavily and still full of unbent rage, readily pounced atop of her, delivering a crushing sensation along her torso from underneath the pressure of James' weight. _

_Natalie sobbed helplessly along with James as he took time to wrap one of his calloused hands around her bruise-ridden neck, while the other manically fumbled with the many layers of frilly skirts beneath her robes. _

_"How can you? James, I love you, please don't do this to me-"_

_James halted his wicked actions for a brief moment, and met his steely, reprimanding eyes with those pleading lightly tinted hazel eyes of his struggling sister, the one he had grew up caring for, nurturing…loving and responded in the harshest and coldest of voices._

_"Stop, it! Atop with the lies! I-I hate you! You don't deserve to bear the Potter name, traitor…I have no sister…!"_

A soft, pale, stream of light flowed through the drawn drapes, igniting the shady though dank environment of the bedroom that had served James Potter as a youth, and was now serving as a temporary room for his son, Harry, a sight James, Lily, nor his parents would've thought they'd live to see, because of serious circumstances involving Harry and the danger of the wizarding world. 

Harry Potter shot up panting desperately for air in a harassed manner, from his bed, his father's bed, the same bed where the hideous scene he had just witnessed in his dream had occurred…at least, he thought it did. 

"_Harry…wake up oh, hairy one…" Harry listened in as a soothing voice called out to him, stroking his long, unkempt hair idly from behind, so he could not spot the person. It was the sudden feel of the unknown being that sent a shock wave into Harry's system, causing him to squeal abruptly and leap off of the bed. _

Harry tumbled onto the floor thrashing wildly in a tangled mass of comforters and quilts.  He gazed around wildly, temporarily forgetting his new surroundings under their new circumstances. Unhinged cackling sent his head whirring back around to his bed, where a familiar gangly red head made himself visible. 

"_Ethan!" Harry exclaimed in immense exasperation, half relieved that it was only his uncanny little brother that had decided to disturb him.  He sighed deeply, ignoring his brother's hyena-like fits of laughter, though his facial features adopted a more aggravated, furious expression as realization of the situation dawned on him. In the blink of an eye, Harry had pounced back onto the bed and clutched Ethan by his bony shoulders, and shook him violently, ceasing his uproarious laughter._

"What are you _doing_ in here?" Harry demanded fiercely as his brother struggled to free himself from his tightening grasp. 

"…_Er…I'm being harassed by a filthy behemoth…and you?" Ethan answered unsurely, stroking back his hair unconsciously as Harry proceeded to rough him up some more, demonstrating his feelings towards the unsatisfactory answer. _

"I mean…I was-I was-Hey! Hands _off_ the merchandise kid, its worth more than you'd _imagine_!" Ethan commanded, managing to shake himself free as he regained his composure with mock dignity. "Now, as I was saying…the house-elves, _our house elves, can you believe it? Anyway, they suggested that I relocate myself if they planned to get breakfast on the table this year." _

"…Let me get this straight…you were kicked out by a bunch of wrinkly midgets named after crap 80's pop stars?" 

"You make being named after a crap 80's pop star sound like a _bad thing-I mean-_No_! They merely suggested that I take my business elsewhere." Ethan stated slowly, as if the idea of anyone not wanting his company was absolutely ludicrous, when, in reality nothing could be farther from that idea. _

"…You scared the…_crap_ out of me…" Harry sighed out of relief, carefully taking time to choose his word, knowing what would happen if his mother caught wind of him using profanity, not that it mattered t him at the moment though. Just because his parents had _forced him into conversation last night he _still_ wasn't speaking to them…for…the, Er, _principle_ of things, he figured in the wisest manner he could muster. _

"_Eww…" Ethan moaned, scrunching up his face in immense grotesque, "Well…shall I send up a house-elf, then?"_

"You idiot, not literally-" Harry started to say, thrusting his brother into the light as to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of him. Harry stared on sppechless, clearly puzzled at his brother's _odd_ choice of garb. "What…what are you _wearing_?" 

"_Don't change the subject!"  he hissed in return, clutching the front of the overgrown robe that was obviously not his own to shield his strangely feminine ensemble, one that Harry knew he recognized. _

"What, pray tell, are you doing with Rose's blouse on?" 

"…Kind of just…standing here really…" he responded shiftily, avoiding Harry's jesting gaze.

"And…a skirt…? You're wearing a skirt?" Harry inquired, a bit too delighted at the realization.

"It's not a _skirt_! They're _Neville's shorts; I'm just a bit on the twiggish side so they won't fit me properly…" Ethan trailed off, attempting to brush off the subject nonchalantly though failing miserably. His eyes followed Harry's mirthful gaze as they roamed over him and back to the 'skirt', which he began to finger in a dainty, teasing manner. _

"Didn't Mum say if you cross dressed on a day other than your birthday that Dad had the right to punish you?" Harry pointed out, docilely sliding back onto his bed, pushing Ethan off, yet again rather roughly.

"For your information, it _is_." Ethan responded huffily, crossing his arms defiantly over his chest.

"Really?" quizzed Harry, undoubtedly puzzled.

"Well…no…I just didn't manage to snag any clothes along on our little trip…and I didn't really expect Mr. Longbottom to plunge into our flaming heap of a house to bring me a fresh pair of underwear…" he explained rather logically, fingering the hem of his sister's unnaturally tight lilac blouse. 

"And the cloak?" Harry inquired, motioning to Ethan's outer wear.

"Oh…it's Christopher-I mean, _Grandpa's…_I think the velvet blends just fabulously with the natural highlights of my hair, what do you think?" Ethan went on, sounding oddly concerned on how his hair coordinated with his Grandfather's clothing.

"…Take it off." 

"…Why?"

"I believe it has the sponge effect on your brain. Soon there'll only be a dried up raisin left, and I'll bet you'll still manage to bug the hell out of me with its constant rattling around in your skull." Harry stated firmly, sounding thoroughly exhausted as he collapsed back onto his pillow, glimpses of his disturbing dream still flickering behind his drawn eyelids. 

"Sponges are highly overrated," Ethan stated, completely missing Harry's dry wit aimed at him. "But that rug in the bathroom…now that's another story…I swear, I think it swallowed my toothbrush…"

"Ethan…Ziggy…stop it." Harry commanded distractedly, still keeping his eyes clamped down shut.

"I'm not doing anything…in particular…"

It wasn't long before he was forced to pry his eyes open yet again, curious as to where that certain noise was coming from. 

"What is that?" Harry inquired irritably, turning his head to the hallway, where the insistent galloping noise was coming from. 

"Didn't' I tell you?" 

"Tell me what?"

"_Hmm…that must mean that I __haven't." Ethan spoke out loud thoughtfully, tapping his chin as the noise continued. _

As the frenzied shuffling noise drew nearer Harry subsequently grew ever more anxious. Unconsciously, he drew his knees up towards his body and clenched his fist as his acute hearing picked up a deep, low, snarling sound that suddenly sickened Harry to his stomach.  His breath quickened slightly, somewhat anticipating an attack.

Ethan, detecting his brother's blatant uneasiness, quickly flashed him a reassuring grin (by _his_ standards, at least) and started to explain the source of the disturbance.

"Calm down…I think its Harry…" Ethan spoke briskly, striding over to the entrance of the vast room. Ethan leered at the door momentarily before reaching down and turning the knob in a jerky fashion. 

"Ethan," Harry gasped frantically, "Don't open the-" Harry commanded breathlessly, immediately diving under his sheets in order to shield his half nude body from sight just as Ethan threw the door open revealing a hardly incriminating creature that barely even reached Ethan's shins. 

The creature, an animal obviously, scuffled into the room casting Ethan grateful glances through its beady though luminous amber eyes. Its dingy rusty ginger fur was matted down and mussed, giving it the impression of a tangled blob of fire, though it it happened to match Ethan's jagged hair, Harry noted sardonically.

Halting ever so suddenly, the creature allowed a blood curdling yowl to escape as f it were being tortured before leaping onto Harry's bed. 

"Harry…?" Ethan called out tentatively t Harry who had frozen on the spot, blanching a ghastly pale shade. 

"_…Mmrph…" Harry mumbled incoherently, flashing his eyes frantically from the creature to Ethan, motioning his head to the animal suggestively in vague hopes that Ethan would catch on._ Very vague hopes._ _

"Blimey, Harry, what's wrong? You look like you're about to wet your pants or something…"

"…It's a…It's a…" Harry stuttered, cringing as the beast inched near him.

"It's a-" Ethan began to say, watching on as the creature stalked over the surface of Harry's quilt, digging its claws deep into the fabric, managing to pierce Harry's tender flesh as well. 

"-_Cat!"__ Harry announced irritably as he proceeded to toss the startled animal from his lap, which proved to be quite a _difficult_ task. _

The word "cat" was foreign to Harry's tongue mainly because it identified a creature he had never had the opportunity to experience beyond old photographs and ridiculous story books. To be able to experience this animal physically, however, was overrated in Harry's opinion. _Highly_ overrated _indeed_, he concluded sullenly as the furry beast nuzzled its round face against Harry's own, creating friction between Harry's smooth skin and its own bristly whiskers. 

"No, it's a _kneazle_ actually…" Ethan corrected while barely managing to stifle his derisive chuckles, in order not to inflame Harry's explosive temper, something even the rather _simplest being could accomplish by merely __existing in the wrong place and the wrong time. _

"Does it look like I _care_ what this _thing is?" Harry questioned brashly, shoving the kneazle towards the edge of the bed briskly, an indignant frown chiseled onto his face._

"…Yes…Yes it does…" he answered somewhat bluntly. 

"_Argh_! Does it look _like I'm _playing_ with you, Ethan?!" Harry boomed once more, allowing the kneazle to tumble off the side of his bed and land on all fours. _

"…Yes…Actually this may be hard to believe…but, yes…yes it does." 

"_Get out! And take your cat-"_

"-_Kneazle._" 

"Whatever! Take it with you!"

"What's he ever done to you Harry?" Ethan questioned in a mock hurt voice, recoiling towards the doorway silently.

"Well, for starters, he's currently mauling my glasses…"

"Er…I think he's teething…"

"I don't care! Get it out! You people just think you can just _waltz in here, _never mind_ the fact that I was trying to get a good night's sleep, never mind the fact I'm half _naked_-"_

"'Morning, Harry, are you still in bed?" Rose questioned pleasantly as she, followed aptly by Neville and Alvin who were both so busy contently munching away on pieces of toast and jam that they didn't bother to notice Harry seething beneath his sheets. 

"Hey Harry," Alvin greeted merrily, turning his attention from his toast for a brief moment, long enough to notice Ethan going into slight convulsions as he cracked up at their perfectly timed arrival. 

"Er…is this a bad time?" Neville questioned cautiously, immediately sensing the dense silence from Harry's direction. 

"Oh, no, not at all. In fact, leave the blasted door open. I expect our neighbors will be wanting to drop by as well to have a peek…You're only disturbing my peaceful, well deserved rest and the small insignificant fact that I'm practically nude shouldn't bother me at all." Harry stated in an overly false and sugary tone to his siblings and friends who stared at him utterly bemused, except for Ethan whose eyes were so blurred with tears from his silent laughter he could barely tell if he was staring at Harry or the hissing Kneazle. 

"…Oh…that's a relief…see guys, I told you he wouldn't mind." Rose said lightly to Neville and Alvin, totally missing Harry's dry sarcasm, on purpose? No one could tell. Though that was usually the case with Rose, as she was a natural at handling Harry's little mood swings.

"Look who's finally out of bed…" Lily greeted in a chipper manner as the group of children entered the dining hall where breakfast was already served and for the most part, eaten.

It looked as if a grand feast had been set out especially for them. Great masses of breakfast foods were placed at random across the grand table. There were three types of eggs, tomatoes, waffles, toast, hot cereal and vast varieties of sausages and even some foods Harry didn't recognize. And out the corner of his eye he could spot his grandfather nursing a hefty chunk of what looked to be…chocolate cake…?

"Harry, we were wondering if we should declare you legally dead…I was afraid the pillows had smothered you or something." Frank added jokingly, keeping an alert watch on James who's fork was inching ever so closer to the last strip of bacon. 

"I could only be so lucky…" Harry whispered bitterly, taking a seat at the table next to Rose. 

"What was that?" Leanne inquired casting a speculative glare towards Harry.

"I said 'If only I didn't steal Ethan's rubber ducky.'" Harry lied swiftly, moving his hand aside as Rose purposely tossed a plate down aiming to silence him. 

"_Hmm…I do believe that was James'…" Christopher replied idly, offering a piece of buttered toast to the kneazle that had previously been harassing Harry._

"…What?" James inquired, hearing his name in he conversation. He turned his head up to look towards his father for a quick moment, though long enough to allow Frank to swipe to bacon off the now empty platter.

"Isn't that right? Daddy loves his ickle Jamsie, that's right. I'll buy you tons of toys-" Christopher went on distractedly in a little baby voice, churning up a few chuckles from the other end of the table.

"…Really dad? I always thought you thought I was a disappointment-" said James, fondly glancing to his father.

"…Not you, you silly boy. We named the Kneazle James too." Christopher explained bluntly, though taking time to give James a light hearted grin.

"I'm quite partial to that name…" Leanne said whimsically, getting up to assist the house elves with the dishes. 

"Did you give anything _else _my name?" James questioned exasperatedly, as he tried his best to ignore the gasping laughter that was coming from the sides of him.

"…You know that house elf that was sent here from the Black family as a reward for taking in Sirius right before you left?"  
  


"…The sweet one that likes to make chocolate Sundaes?" James pressed, his spirits perking up at the thought of this particular mild mannered house elf.

"No. The stubby, surly one…you know…with the bad teeth…and the eye patch…You remember, the evil little troll that stalks around the house after hours, drumming up _dreadful memories in order to give nightmares…that happens to be one of his powers…actually his __only power…poor dear, can't even bake a cake without burning it sadly, no matter how many lessons I give him…" Christopher went on, not realizing that he was unintentionally insulting James…the person, as he described the horrible creature that bared the same name. _

"Hmm…the beautiful garden nymphs get named after Jeremy and the dilapidated, crooked house elf is named after me…That seems equal. Say Lil, what do you say we rename Corky after Ethan?" James suggested, referring to his twenty-year old owl who had lost its hearing and feeling senses and James was now starting to suspect it was going blind from the way it kept crashing into walls…

"James," Alice Longbottom called, emerging from the hallway with an irritated expression set firmly upon her face as Milo traipsed behind her merrily humming as he dragged along a passed out Corky by his claw. "It took your ruddy owl fifteen minutes to fly the letter into the window without crashing back down into the garden." she stated briskly, sending James into a silent seething fury, Milo being the only one noticing.

"Naughty, naughty, not-mummy…" He announced fiercely, wagging his finger disapprovingly to Alice as he scuffled over to comfort James. "Don't be pissy, kitty…" Milo went on, scratching behind James' ear idly.

"I'm not a _kitty_!" James exclaimed profusely, accidentally allowing his temper to set off at the wrong person. 

"…Well _that was brilliant…" both Lily and Frank responded in unison, chastising James for his foolish action that resulted in a bawling Milo, way past consoling. _

"I want my _Daddy_!" Milo wailed uncontrollably, flopping down from James' lap and towards James II, the kneazle who was grinning wider than the Cheshire Cat in James' direction, James imagined.

"…Right then…okay…Mum, how about you tell us what the letter says…" Alvin sputtered through a grossly full mouth, achieving to splatter Rose and Neville who were seated directly across from him, with the chewed up mass.  

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Mostly everybody at the table reminded him sternly, turning away from the disgusting display of mashed up oatmeal and ham.

"Yeah, goodness forbid you choke-" Ethan stared to say, earning a surprised look from Alvin for his new found concern for him. 

"Really?"

"-You'd probably end up hacking up your whole mouth full over me anyway, knowing _your luck…" _

"Oh yeah, it'd be a real shame if I ruined your _skirt_." 

This comment caused a heated argument to erupt suddenly over Ethan's unique choice of attire, which Harry didn't really feel necessary to get involved in…even if he did know they were really Neville's shorts. He reached down to pick up his spoon once again and continued to eat his porridge only to realize that not only his utensils had vanished, though his half eaten bowl of porridge as well. And this was not to be anticipated when it was Rose he was sitting next to, and not the gluttonous Alvin. 

From the corner of his eye he spotted a shifty figure scooting back into the kitchen so stealthily it was going unnoticed by everybody at the table except by Harry.  His head whipped around swiftly and for a split second his eyes met with a second pair, or at least one eye and another covered by an eye patch of another being. Its wrinkled jaw twisted up as it managed to throw Harry a sickening twisted smirk from behind its huge stack of soiled dishes.  

Harry shuddered momentarily and clutched his stomach jerkily and a sudden wave of nausea washed over him as the creature, a house-elf, mouthed a few silent words and bits of scarlet flashed in its one beady eye, causing the illusion of flames to overtake Harry. Simultaneously, quick wisps of previous nightmares, quite a few long forgotten, to appear as if in a slideshow in the back of Harry's mind. This was including the brief memories of his only sighting of the Dark Lord and his lackeys torturing the rat-man and even of his disturbing dream from the previous night, which left him with a particularly uneasy feeling every time he caught sight of his father. 

Harry clamped his eyes shut so tightly tears were beginning to swell in his eyes. The pace of his heart was quickening at a dangerous speed and his breath began coming out as ragged hacks as it was difficult to breath as his throat tightened drastically.  Though his eyes were shut, Harry could still feel the presence of the house elf's one eye, boring into his mind, leaving an unpleasant burning sensation as he did it. Though the noise at the table was reduced to a low chatter Harry felt as if his ears were expected to explode at any given moment from the unfiltered stream of memories and noises that were pouring into his brain. He attempted to cry out, bring some attention to himself just as all the memories vanished just as quick as they appeared, leaving without the slightest trace apart from a raspy voice echoing in the back of his head repeatedly saying something like _'Hogwarts…'_

"Harry," Rose hissed as she clapped a hand down onto Harry's shoulder, causing him to jump up in his seat and let a small yelp escape him.

"What's wrong?" she inquired silently, detecting his uneasiness for the moment as he watched the last house elf shuffle out the room.

For a moment Harry considered telling her, as they had never kept secrets from one another, not any Harry knew of anyway. Though something in his brain told him to stop, that things were different now, and would never be the same again. He shut his mouth slowly and shook his head indicating nothing was wrong. Though Rose didn't look as if she had been fooled a bit, which she _hadn't, she still felt it was necessary to respect what little privacy Harry had. _

_'Where would Odysseus be if he had immediately told Penelope of his secret disguise? She'd think he was an old loon, that's for sure…Why do I have the feeling things wouldn't be so different if _Harry_ told me what he__ was hiding…?"   Rose pondered silently to herself, referencing to not one of her favorite stories, though one she was forced to read frequently as a younger child. _

"What did you wanna tell me…?" Harry asked distractedly, shaking her out of her thoughts. 

Rose looked puzzled for a moment, as if she had temporarily forgotten what she was about to say though moments later, the information came back to her again and she was up from her seat and tugging Harry along with her. 

"May we be excused?" She asked politely, turning her eyes to the adults of the table though her expression looked as if she had absolutely no intention of sitting back down.

"Well I suppose-" Alice began to say slowly, her eyes still focused on the letter intently as if absorbing some information. "-But Dumbledore says he expects us at Hogwarts for your tour at no later than-"

"Okay, thanks then." Harry spoke shortly, as Rose eagerly dragged him out the doorway and into the corridor, out of everyone else's sight.

At her right, Leanne noticed her son glaring stonily after them, his jaw set in an steely frown as he visibly tensed.  Leanne herself frowned slightly at this, placing a hand on her son's shoulder she spoke in a serious tone.

"Come now, James, they're only _children_." She said rationally, hoping to make James see how ridiculous he was acting. He just turned his head to face her, tight–lipped and stony eyed before responding.

"You have _no idea what I'm worried of." He stated simply, bringing his clenched fist down onto the table suddenly._

"I have _every idea of what you're worried of, and believe me, my grandchildren aren't about to make the same mistakes of those before them did. Absolutely __not." She replied once more in a blunt tone as she rose from the table, sniffing indignantly._

"And how would _you_ know? You barely had a clue as to what was going on with _me,_ how can you-"

"Because," Christopher intervened in the conversation in his usual light hearted demeanor, "I named my imported Cornish Pixies after them, and children that share names with pixies don't do naughty, ill thought out things like children who share names with crooked, shady house-elves or that evil mandellier plant that smells like bacon in the greenhouse…" he finished at ease, as if it were common knowledge.

"…I'm confused…" Ethan announced after a few moments of silence had rolled by. 

"Of course you are…we linked this to you being dropped on your head, remember" Neville assured him automatically.

"Is Dad named after a _Mandellier_ too?"

"Oh heavens no, Ethan," Christopher replied, "The Mandellier's name is_ Natalie." _

"What, what did you want to show me?" Harry inquired as Rose shoved him into the living room they had arrived in the night before, where a huge, body-length window was located.

"Look," Rose commanded, pulling back the satin drapes with so much ease and glee on her face, "What d you see?" she inquired exuberantly as Harry rubbed his eyes unsurely as if making sure he wasn't looking out onto a mirage. 

It was incredible, to their standards, something truly extraordinary to look outside of a window and to see no ocean and no sand, though rather a vast outstretch of lush green hills that looked like they went on _forever, there was even a forestand a exceptionally large lake in the far distance with various giant flexible flippers waving back and forth atop the surface. The house appeared to be atop a hill and at the valley of the hill were many shops and what seemed to be houses, a town, Harry decided. The town was something amazing by itself to Harry as he had never been directly exposed to many buildings, and even less people. He looked back to Rose who was standing behind him grinning madly._

"I can't…believe it…" He breathed out subtly, barely managing to catch his breath.

"You haven't even seen the best part." Rose put simply, ignoring Harry who looked as if he were about to protest her statement as she directed his head directly across from the window. 

Amidst the wild shrubbery leaping from the forest and over o the border Harry caught sight of a grand castle with so many towers and wings sprouting up from it he couldn't believe his eyes. Though it looked somewhat ancient and antique Harry felt a dense of liveliness radiation from it even though miles away. 

"Is that-" Harry began to ask quizzically, a sense of utter disbelief evident on his features.

"Yes…Grandpa told me that's _Hogwarts_!"

**AN- Wow, less than two days after I updated my other fic and I'm already updating this one! Hmm…If I keep this up people might *gulp* stop harassing me…**

**My subconscious- *With heavy lisp* Oh, Jesus Christ, dude, I _crave attention…_**

**O_o****…Oh wow…Er…anyway…who feels they owe me a review for taking less than a year to update? *raises hands triumphantly and accidentally hits the ceiling***


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